The Nightshade
by Antares Starfire
Summary: During the attempt on recovering Sasuke, Naruto is killed by his best friend. After being transferred to the Lifestream he is given a chance to come back without knowing it. Rated M for safety. NO Time-travel. FemKyuubi. Extreme AU for liberties with the World.
1. Darkness

**This story is going through a process of revision (don't worry it won't stop the updates). The reason for this is twofold: First since the servers were update some months ago, FFNet has deleted the scene breaks I had inserted in the chapters. Second there are a lot of horrible spell mistakes that must be fixed (thank ArtanisRose for finally getting me to do it). I'll be reviewing the chapters regularly and try to fix any mistakes that might have persisted since the last purge. Be patient, though: it will likely take time. **

* * *

The Nightshade

Chapter I - Darkness

The wind sped through the trees, whistling like a child between the branches, shaking the leaves to their very core. A wind of sorrow and suffering that couldn't have been more perfectly matched with the grim face the sky had been presenting itself at the time.

Straps of dark grey clouds, almost black, slid in the sky, letting the first stars of the beginning of the night show their faces to whoever found themselves in the mood for such activity. But that night Shikamaru wouldn't be watching them. Because there was something much more important, and because the huge fully black clouds in the horizon promised more rain to come.

The wind sped through the forest and up the village's gates, swirling in the streets, trying to take away coats and other belongings to the unaware peasant, like a small child playing outside, cackling with laughter. But it was also a wind with the howl of tragedy, sounding like a pack of wolves, mourning their dead comrades after a particularly gruesome fight. The wind passed through the closed doors of Ichiraku's Ramen stand – no client would have his meal here today - and ran to the local barbecue in order to take a curious peek to the life of the people of this strange village of Konoha. A fairly large number of villagers were there, laughing and drowning themselves in food and drink, yelling in an happiness that, to many of them, was nothing but fake, commenting on how good it was the demon was gone, complaining to the hell he had put them through while, at their heart, wondering for the first time, just what had the little boy done to them that had been so bad.

The wind rose up and resumed its way. Those were not the ones he wanted to observe. A few lights were lit in the houses and, as Wind looked inside through the window, he would see a child playing by the fire, a housewife busy with her affairs, or just an old man sitting, reading the paper at the light of some candle lights, now that the sun's luminosity was starting to fade. There was a small humming in the air. The wind rose above the houses, spotting a somewhat large group of people, all dressed black, silently and slowly making their way to the graveyard. The wind hurried itself to catch them.

The clouds were now right on top of the village again and, has Wind reached the roaming humans, he spotted a young woman slipping slightly on the soaked ground, looking miserable and consumed by sadness at all time. There was a thunder, a thunder which lit the sky in a yellowish colour, deepening the sad frowns on everyone's face. The wind rushed between them, trying to make itself noticed, only getting groans and muffled curses at itself in the process.

* * *

As she forced herself to keep up with the miserable pace of the Godaime, Sakura was getting more and more depressed. For the most part of the last few days, she had tried to put up a brave face, to show her strong side to everyone, in an attempt to ease the suffering around her, only deepening her own in the process. The thunder startled the girl, making her take a small jump out of scared surprise, making her slip in the muddy ground bellow her. She felt something cold fall on her cheek and reached for it automatically. It was a droplet of water. All around her, more droplets started to fall, but none of the presents tried to shelter themselves. The rain echoed in a monotonous compass, sending a sad music to the air. A music that matched the despaired sadness, the buried longing and, deep inside, deeper than she would have ever imagined, unknown to everyone including its bearer, the dark hate Sakura was feeling.

She forced her legs to keep moving, even though her feet seemed to have been morphed into chakra enhanced weights. She was at the limit of her resolve and only kept walking due to an unbreakable stubbornness.

They had finally arrived. Everyone who had known him, truly known him, was there, to pay their last respects to them. Almost everyone, at least. The Toad Sannin didn't seem to have been able to make it. It was not surprising, since he had done the same when his sensei had died, killed by a former team-mate, Orochimaru. The man just didn't do well with crowds. He preferred to pay his respects on his own way.

To Sakura, moments of her relationship with him kept coming back to her mind. Despite her best efforts, it seemed her brain just wouldn't let her have a moment of rest.

Naruto. Naruto, running around the village, pursued closely by a bunch of ninja, just after having performed his latest prank. Naruto, annoying her to death at the academy. Naruto at the Chuunin exams, refusing to give up, Naruto cheering her up in that same exam. Naruto...

"_It's the promise of a lifetime, Sakura-chan!" he said, before sprinting of to catch up with the others._

"_Naruto made the nice guy pose. He won't fail!" commented Lee at her side._

"_I'll bring him back for you, Sakura-chan! I'll train to get real strong!"_

"_SASUKEE!"_

"_Sasuke... Why?..."_

"_For power!"_

"_Why?"_

"Why?" Sakura was sure. She distinctively heard the question. She raised her head in a jerk, foolishly looking around, a glimmering hope trembling in her heart. But the sky was still dark, rain was still falling, and reality hadn't change. Naruto had died, killed by the boy he considered his best friend. Killed has he struggled on a foolish errand, a suicide self-imposed mission. No, not self imposed. Sakura had been the one to impose it on him. And because he was who he was, Naruto just couldn't stand and watch someone close to his heart suffer. And he died, died with a smile, confident on a promise that would never be kept. _Sure, Naruto. I'll get the Mangekyou by killing you. I'll gain the power to kill my brother. I'll return Home._ Sakura clutched her hand at her heart, pain shooting through her chest, burning her eyes. The tears fell alongside with the rain, undistinguished. If it wasn't for the bloodshot eyes, no one would ever notice she was crying.

Everyone was paying their respects. Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, a crying Hinata, the Suna brothers, the Kazekage himself, Gaara of the Sand, a very shaken Kakashi, the Godaime Hokage and others. A new bolt of lightning split the sky in half allowing Sakura to clearly see, in the darkness, the photo of a smiling boy, with guts and courage rivalled by none, the hair the colour of his heart. With whisker marks on his face, Konohagakure's most surprising ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, had passed away. Sakura fell to her knees, unable to cope with the pain.

"Why?" She heard again. Except this time was the voice of a girl, next to her. Right in front of her actually. She raised her head to look at the trembling figure of Hinata, standing above her, high and erect. "Why?" she asked again. Sakura shook her head, unable to answer, as a lump formed in her throat.

A powerful kick sent her flying backwards in total surprise. And before she or any of the others could react, Hinata was next to her, anger and hate on her face, darkened by her soaked hair, palms glowing with raw power. She was hit again more times than she could even count before the other girl was stopped by the powerful hand of the Hokage, with a little help from the only other Hyuuga present, Neji. Sakura landed with a soft bump, next to a tree. As the Hokage readied herself to punish the Hyuuga heiress, a sudden feel of power burst through the field, before something knocked over Hinata, sending her several dozens of feet in the air. With just a flick of her finger, Sakura had knocked the Hinata flat on the ground. Tsunade knew the power of even on flick of her finger would be enough to kill a person, but she also knew she couldn't quite blame Sakura for it because... what was in front of her was not Sakura...

* * *

_Sakura looked around. Her surroundings were awfully familiar. She didn't have to look to know: Naruto was battling Sasuke once again, and she was stuck in the nightmare that haunted her every night since that fateful day._

_Sai was there, next to her, unconscious, after being knocked out by a particularly bold move of Uchiha Sasuke, who was battling Naruto once again. And once again she was sitting there in the dusty ground, powerless. She didn't know why she couldn't help. There was a large confusion on her heart. Did she really want Sasuke back? Yes, of course she wanted. And yet she couldn't bring herself to help Naruto. Something pinning her to the ground. 'No. No. I don't want to see it! Please, no!' She continued to watch as tears fell down her face in despair: She knew what was coming, she had watched the dream too many times, unable to avoid it. She closed her eyes in a futile attempt to keep the images from reaching her. But it was of no avail. If anything, her attempts only made the images bolder. _

_She was forced to watch, as Sasuke, the very same person she had thought so much of, the very reason she had passed the most lonely years of her life, apart from her best friend Ino, the very reason why she chastised Naruto on a daily basis, the one she once had thought was the love of her life, trusted an overpowered Chidori through Naruto's chest. She watched as the blonde's eyes widened in disbelief, and as Sasuke's Sharingan swirled madly, becoming the feared Mangekyou, and the boy's mad cry of triumph and crazy happiness. She cried out as loud as she could, trying and failing to block those images again and again. In a desperate move she forcefully flung her eyes open…_

… only to find herself laid back on a Konoha's hospital bedroom. She tried to calm herself, tried and failed once, twice and again, sweat dropping from her forehead. She wiped it, remembering that it was the reason why she had had a hell of a time in her fist times at the academy. And that it was why she had made friends with Ino, who felt sorry for the little pink-haired girl sobbing quietly on the park. Forehead-girl was still a teasing name her friend used in order to pick on her when they used to fight over Sasuke. She clenched her fists at the thought of the boy and tried to think on other things, not wanting to destroy the hospital. The mix of her bloodline limit and the insane strength she had gained from her training with the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, the Slug Sannin, was not a good combination for the furniture when she was enraged or otherwise distressed.

Her memories from the fated day, when Sasuke did what she thought impossible and murdered his friend, weren't very good. She could not remember much after the Uchiha had shoved his attack towards Naruto, sealing his fate.

She remembered hearing him brag about his Mangekyou Sharingan and how he was now able to defeat his brother and rebuild his clan. She remembered how she listened without believing when he asked her to follow her to "glory" and be one of his "trusting servants". She remembered him asking her cooperation on the rebuilt of the Uchiha clan. She remembered spitting on his face and trying to attack him. She remembered Tsukuyomi… All the rest was blank.

The others had, eventually, told her the rest of the story. Apparently, Sai had come back to his senses to find her performing medical Jutsu on Naruto, desperately keeping him alive, even though he had no heart any more, with a blank look on her face. He had made one of his Jutsu and summoned Tsunade and a few of the others, such as Jiraya and Kakashi, to help. No matter what he would try, Sai just seemed have been unable to release her from her state of mind. They told her Tsunade had been forced to knock her unconscious to succeed in stopping her, effectively keeping her from killing herself from chakra exhaustion but, on the process, assuring the fate of the blonde shinobi. Not even the chakra of the Nine-Tails had took effect in saving the host. It was as Jiraya had said, Kyuubi could only repair, not rebuilt out of thin air. After that, Naruto's body just seemed to dissolve itself into the atmosphere, on colourful streams of smoke, disappearing. At first, Sakura had gained some hope from it, but not for long. Jiraya explained her that, what had happened was not a Jutsu from the Nine-Tails trying to save his vessel, but actually the irrefutable proof that Naruto's life had come to an end. The boy had entered the legendary Lifestream, the shortest path to Heaven, where only the fairest an the pure could thread.

Apparently, it had been then her bloodline limit had manifested itself for the first time – at least with full power. As far as she had understood from the Hokage's explanations, what was moving her body was not her as she was now, but rather another her. She had two versions of herself inside her body, two minds of the same person but, at the same time, with different behaviours. The scarce information she had been able to get, she had received from her mother. It was a well known fact that practically all the females of the Haruno clan were gifted with high levels of intelligence and what some people would describe as photographic memory. It turned out that those were the early manifestations of their bloodline, an alter-ego which was composed of all the repressed feelings of the girl and held no problem in breaking the rules of society. It was known to be a formidable defence against mind attacks and it was because of that that the Haruno family members were so good at Genjutsu. It could also take control of the body if the user was in a state of high peril. Apparently, that's what had happened.

She remembered the funeral. The giant Toad that appeared out of thin air to pay its respects. She remembered Hinata and her heart almost stopped.

Hinata hated Sakura. That much was obvious. It was also obvious that she held her responsible for what happened to Naruto. And the most terrible thing of it all was that she was probably right.

A pointless quest, a childish and immature request. The ramblings of a spoiled brat was what the demands she had made for him to rescue Sasuke seemed to Sakura now. And as result Naruto was gone.

* * *

There was a dark atmosphere in the Hokage's Office. One of suffering and distress. Never had Tsunade expected something like that to happen. She had been convinced that the bonds between the team were strong enough, she would never expect the Uchiha to murder one of his own.

Still she supposed she should not be surprised: the Uchiha clan had been known to have some extreme instabilities in their branches, due to the fact that they treasured their bloodline so much that actually almost prohibited marriage outside the genetic lineage of the clan. It was a well-known fact that such behaviours led to mental instability and madness. Although it would be true the Sharingan would remain pure due to the genes being always present, it was also true that genetic problem affecting behaviour and even physical qualities would also be enhanced. All reasonable medical ninja knew of such facts, but they had no power to intervene inside a clan's affair. That was something that not even the Hokage had power to do. And the Uchiha clan had been left alone.

It was now clear that the last of the Uchiha had surely inherited some of those instabilities, which had been probably worsened by the murder of the boy's family by his older brother. Still, there was something more, something luring in the shadows. Tsunade could not perceive what it was, but she was sure there was more to the Sharingan and to what some would call the Uchiha's curse than met the eye.

With a sigh the woman got up and looked through the windows. The circular room had only one regular exit, which consisted in a door, guarded by ninja every time of the day. It was a circular room, much similar to the one where missions were assigned to the ninja teams, although smaller. The Hokage desk stood in the centre, from the viewpoint of someone who enters, and was slightly misaligned with the overall centre of the room, so that the light coming from the big windows behind the Hokage's seat could give the best amount of illumination possible. It was to those windows the Hokage went and, looking down, she was just in time to spot a small woman approach the building. It seemed that punctuality was one of the Haruno's qualities, although, at the time, the Hokage couldn't say if it was a quality or a curse. She still hadn't figured out how to break the news to her apprentice's mother. Another thunder made itself known as the Hokage returned to her desk.

She looked down at the desk. The necklace she had given to Naruto stood there, unmoving and darkened by bits of blood, as if the object itself was sad with the death of its previous bearer. Tsunade had been through three hellish days, suffering the death of the one she considered almost as a grandson, even going so far as if wondering if there was some curse related to the necklace and if it had been her fault Naruto had died. It was all even worse because of Jiraya's disappearance. When her lover and brother had died, she had always been able to count with the other Sannin shoulder but it seemed he too had taken an hard blow with this particular death, even more so than when his previous students died.

And as if that wasn't enough there was the problem of her current student. It was obvious to her that, at some point in the struggle, something awful, horrible had been done to Sakura, thus inducing the self-activation of her bloodline ability in order to protect herself from such event. What exactly it had been, Tsunade hadn't been sure until the medical exam's results arrived at her desk, a day earlier. The diagnostic was clear, vestiges of semen and damaged tissue on her apprentice internal sexual organs left no space for doubt: Sakura had been raped. At first there had been at least two possible candidates for a beating up, if not something more gruesome, but after Sai had agreed to submit himself to scrutiny from Inoichi Yamanaka's mind reading Jutsu, it had been obvious who the perpetrator had been. If there still had been any doubt, the results from the cell's examinations that arrived from Laboratory had shoved it away. Sasuke Uchiha had raped his female team-mate and killed his other one. Two sins in one day and Tsunade didn't intend on letting him live past that, no matter what the councillors had to say in the matter. Although there shouldn't be much opposing to the harsh punishments, since most of the clans were on her side now, as their heirs were reaching adulthood, therefore being apt to assume command of the clan, and had been good friends with the blonde. The reasons for the rapping had been given by an unaware Sakura, as she described the ranting of the Uchiha about restoring his clan. It seemed he wanted to assure the continuity of the family no matter what and decided Sakura would be a good enough of a "host". Such word made Tsunade shudder.

Due to her student's mental instability, at the moment, Tsunade decided not to tell her anything about it. However the same could not be said about her mother and Tsunade felt that, as her guardian, the woman had the right to know. So she had summoned her for the discussions of urgent matters concerning her daughter.

She was also a little pissed at Sakura. It was wrong, she knew, but she couldn't help but blame her, at least a bit, for the fate of the blonde shinobi. If the girl hadn't been so selfish and childish, nothing like that would have happened. But of course, even the best person had failures and, sometimes, not even the Godaime Hokage could think clearly.

There was a low conversation outside and, after a moment, a light knock sounded through the Hokage's door, followed by an announcement that the Haruno Head of the clan was there, requesting permission to enter.

* * *

Sakura jerked her head slightly to the hospital's room window, as an unexpected noise came from it. After a few moments she realised it had been nothing more than the wind, gushing against the building. The nurses had already came and shut the main light bulge down, but Sakura maintained a small bedside lamp which gave enough light to barely illuminate the room. She couldn't really understand why, but she had been feeling a sense of dread as soon as the night had fallen and had become afraid of staying alone in the room; in the dark. She wasn't sure, however, if the lamp was making the situation better at all, as its light would cast shadows across all the room. Even though she tried to ignore it, she would sometimes perceive, or imagine to perceive, flickers of movement in the shadows. However, once she looked there, she would never see a thing. The thunderstorm wasn't helping either and she would often jump in surprise when a particularly close thunder would fall from the dark sky.

She kept looking through the window next to her bed, to the street outside, where the street lamps were casting a pale orange light, where the droplets of falling rains could be seen shining, like kunai made out of light.

Her mother had stopped by, earlier in the day, and had informed her that the Hokage had summoned her for a private meeting. Sakura wondered what that was all about. Although some part of her was wishing for the Godaime to ask her mother to gain a more firm grip on her so that she could improve her skills faster, she couldn't also avoid a dark feeling, a sensation of disaster hovering above her head. She sighed and turned to the window once again.

_There was this feeling in the room she couldn't really explain. She tried to call for one of the nurses but it was of no avail, as no answer was given to her calls. Sakura got up and reached for the door. She opened the door and saw that she wasn't really in a hospital, but in some kind of underground dungeon. She followed down the corridor searching for something. What she was searching, she couldn't tell but it felt as something she definitely had to find._

_She finally reached the end of the corridor and was now starting to feel something close to dark satisfaction. She opened the gates in front f her and entered a large room._

_'About time you showed up!' said Sasuke, 'I was about to start without you'._

_There was no audible answer from her but it was obvious there was no way in hell she would let him have all the fun alone._

_'Actually, I'm through with him, he's all yours' the raven haired boy said before living the room._

_Sakura grabbed the long knife she had with her, making sure it was sharp before turning to the person behind her, immobilized by a large set of chains reinforced with Jutsu._

_'Hello, Naruto. Goodbye, Naruto.' She said before slowly driving the knife through the blonde's chest, slowly, savouring his screams of pain._

Sakura rose up from the bed, realising the screams she was hearing were coming from herself. She felt evil, dirty, and started to try getting of the bed in desperation. The nurses eventually came and found her sitting against the corner of the room, hugging her knees. No matter how much they tried, she would only say a single thing: "I killed him... I killed him..."

* * *

Wind had seen enough. Swirling around the distressed humans on the street one last time, it rose in the air. It sped past the graveyard, reaching the training grounds where an old man was sulking, looking at the darkened sky. This was the man destined to train his chosen, the man who had trained his chosen, his chosen who had now temporarily disappeared from the surface of the planet. Wind rose in the sky and left on a Quest. A quest to greet his chosen, who was just about to come back from the abyss.


	2. World Machine

Chapter II – World Machine

The green, yellow and white streams of light flew above his head when Naruto dared to open his eyes for the first time since he had received the Chidori on is chest. The memory was still fresh on his mind although he didn't really have the slightest idea of what had happened after that. Nor how he was still alive.

Naruto looked around, curious. He knew the place he was in, of course. It was his own mindscape, the place where he would usually end up when particularly beaten up and proceed to hear the sarcastic, sadistic comments of Kyuubi, the demon fox sealed inside his body. However, this time no remark came from the cage. Because it was simply not there. No sign of the demon fox either. Naruto would start worrying about the fox having succeeded in escaping if he hadn't more pressing matters: No matter where he looked, the large room was being torn apart. As if something was demolishing it. But instead of falling down, the mindscape was actually going up, gradually breaking into smaller and smaller pieces, into an enormous vortex of yellow and white light, as water in a maelstrom, or air in a hurricane. As he looked, he saw bright strands of light reach out from the vortex and grab more of the room, breaking it down. It was a terrifying sight an Naruto had no idea what was going on. He looked around but the exit he would usually use had already been destroyed. Now it was the ground around him that was starting to collapse. He looked up to the vortex again in desperation and, to his horror, the strands reached out for him. He tried to dodge them but some, very thin ones, succeeded in attaching themselves to his eyes. What he felt next was indescribable. It was as if his body was being torn apart and put back again millions of times, and at the same time, he could feel his eyes being slowly changed, modified, pulled away, disintegrated. He felt the same thing on his chest and new it was the end.

Then to his surprise it stopped. He could not see what was going on but felt something soft, something hairy brush past him. He could also hear wind gushing as if something enormous was continuously moving around him. Sounds of growls were also present, and Naruto started to wonder what more was in check for him. It was curious, though. Although he was experiencing pain like he had never experienced before, although he had just lost his vision and probably would also lose his life, Naruto felt curious. Curious as to what would happen next. What would lay beyond Life. What was death?

And so, with a feeling of deep curiosity and childish anticipation, Uzumaki Naruto felt a pull on his body, felt the soft furry thing wrap around him, and dove into the vortex, to the very core of the unknown, to the source of the Lifestream, protected by something or someone he could not see nor identify.

* * *

The sound of falling droplets awakened Naruto. It was a soft, rhythmic sound that he would have dismissed easily in the past but now stroke him as indefinably beautiful. He opened is eyes to search for the source of that sound.

He could not see. No matter how much he tried he would only get darkness as an answer to his efforts. Why could he not see, what was wrong with his eyes? Naruto started to run around aimlessly, beginning to panic. Because of his careless wandering, he ended up bumping with his head against something hard, falling over, utterly defeated by something as simple as a stone statue.

When he came back to his senses something had changed. He still couldn't see like any normal human being would but, aside from the darkness, there was a strange fogeyish yellow _thing_ wherever he looked. He tried to stretch his hand to grab it and saw how the fog moved, as if it was water, waving when a rock thrown by a little kid hits it. It moved differently according to how he moved too, and seemed to be concentrating around him. This sure was freaking Naruto out but, after some time, he came to the conclusion that, whatever it was, it was probably harmless, since he didn't feel any after-effects from being in contact with it. Still, the similarities it had with the yellow light that had attacked him before was disturbing. Naruto tried to get up only to bump his head against the rocky structure from earlier. Carefully avoiding new contact, he came to his feet, trying to make out as much of the room he was in as possible, considering his debilitated state.

If anyone would have been able to see him, they would probably start laughing their heads off by the sight of Uzumaki Naruto hesitantly making his way back and forth in the room, with his hands extended forward, like a blind mole. He kept trying to get a feeling of the place until, dismayed by pure boredom and lack of any palpable results, he returned to what he supposed was the middle of the room and sat down.

It was a not a well known fact that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't that comfortable in the dark at all. Memories of his lonely childhood came back with demons, old and new, to haunt him in those situations. And being in a room he did not know, seeing nothing but darkness all around him, a darkness sporting very strange shiny dust particles or whatever that was, was pretty much freaking him off. It was strange that the fox still hadn't healed his eyes, though.

'That dumb fox, what is he doing? HEY, DUMB FOX, HEAL ME WITH YOUR CHAKRA!'

It could be described, perhaps, as a somewhat irresponsible challenge, the one he was making, considering how much control the Demon Fox seemed to be getting over him in what concerned the chakra it gave to the blonde boy. However, no angry come back was sent through their link, no surge of malice and chakra. Just plain silence. He also tried to reach the cage, as he had been thought by Jiraya, but found it nowhere. The demon fox had, for all purposes and effects, disappeared from his mind and body.

"Figures! The first moment I really could find that fox bastard useful, he leaves!", Naruto said aloud. There was an unexpected extremely bold echo from those words, which went on for quite sometime. That much told Naruto that, at least, the room he was in was really big. Perhaps not in radius but, at least, in height.

"Damn! It looks like I'm all alone..."

* * *

Hours, minutes, seconds, years. All that could have passed, during the time he waited, waited for someone, something that would help him out of the situation he was in. But nothing came, no one answered his needs, and Naruto was... bored. He had slept a little, driven by sheer boredom, and passed the rest of the time, wandering around. The room was much larger than he had previously anticipated and extended through a great door into a corridor. He had discovered the passage thanks to the shiny dust he could see. Which was, truth to be told, the only thing he could see. He had been sitting in the floor after awakening from the nap when suddenly realised that the dust seemed to be moving. It was so subtle that it had escaped him before, but it was there. The dusty particles were being moved as if a wind was blowing and, carefully following them, he reached a place were there seemed to be a hole in the wall. A quick inspection proved it to be large portals, enormous doors, opened ones too, that led to a large corridor.

As soon as Naruto stepped into the corridor he felt wind. Fresh wind blowing softly against his right side, brushing his hair. It seemed that, wherever he was, he was walking in an open space. He reached out with his hands and found low walls at both sides and Naruto concluded he should be in some sort of bridge in the open or whatever. The dust was much more spread, without really loosing its density, which seemed to confirm his assertion of being out in the open space. He kept going, carefully following through the corridor, until he reached another door. He was starting to be able to make out obstacles, and buildings out of the way the shiny dust behave. The fact that he had been using his hands an all other sense trying to take out the greatest amount of information possible seemed to be helping too. He was slowly adapting himself to his handicap, making use of the new found ability, if it could be called one.

The door had some kind of pattern that, oddly enough, Naruto could see. And he could see because the dusty particles were concentrating on it making the lines glow the same way they did. It was an hexagram with circles in each corner. The uppermost of them all held the image of a human being. The down most the circles of what seemed to Naruto as a tailed beast. The other four ones had the kanji for the four elements and, in the middle of the hexagram, stood a large circle, with an eye in it, with concentric circles for pupils, and with a strange object as the Iris. There were lines of writings uniting each circle, forming the hexagram, but Naruto didn't understood nor recognised them. Somewhat puzzled, he pushed the door open.

Naruto entered this new-found room and, instantly, the perception changed. The whole room glowed brilliantly in golden light, with a great source, bulge, ball of energy in the middle. Its features weren't discernible, which wasn't surprising, considering how much he could see, at the moment, but even if he could, he doubted he would be able to actually see something. The patterns of light of the ball were always changing, as if it was made of different rings, each of them turning independently from the others. He stood there, with his mouth open at the object. When he tried to touch it, he discovered he couldn't. Naruto wondered what that ball was.

"_That is the Machine Of The World."_ said a soft, female voice from behind him.

Naruto turned back and saw a humanoid figure that shone so brightly in the golden light that it was actually white. It was almost blinding him. The yellow dust swirled around it.

"_Everything that was, is and will be is recorded here."_ another voice, this time of a male, made itself heard, again from behind Naruto. He turned back again and saw, across the ball, on the other side of the room, another humanoid figure, also shining brightly, with the dust around it.

"_The machine of the world turns..." _said the female.

"_... according to the will of beings."_ completed the male.

"_But it has become restless..."_ continued the first.

"_... for it is a time of change." _finished the second.

They, whoever they were, whatever they were, were approaching Naruto as they spoke, constantly alternating between each other, the female starting the sentences and the male finishing them. Naruto had his eyes open wide, trying to make out the maximum of their intentions. Of course he couldn't see a thing besides the bright light.

"_You are hurt..."_

"_... the Lifestream is not kind."_

"_Fear not..."_

"_... you will heal."_

The one Naruto had identified as a female raised a hand to his eyes, while the male raised a hand to his chest. Light really blinded him that time and he felt some pain again, both in the chest and in the eyes, although now was a pain mixed with a ticklish feeling he usual associated with healing injuries. The light extinguished and all was darkness.

He realised he had his eyes closed. Ever so slowly, he tried to open them. The freakish golden dust was there still, but this time it resembled more like liquid than actual solid particles. And he could see! See like he used to! He could finally make out where he was.

It appeared to be a very big building and he was in the centre of it, next to a strange structure. The room was made of bright white stones but above, a dome of black ones could be seen. Each of the stone types seemed to meld with each other in a very harmonious way, beautiful even. In the central structure stood a large ball made out of intricate metal rings, spinning each one on its own direction. If the golden bright wasn't still present, Naruto would have found it very ugly. But it seemed he still could see the strange thing, although more faint. And then there were the beings he had seen before. They had moved while he had been testing his eyes and were now beside each other, as if inviting him for comparison. Honestly, he couldn't see much. There was a white figure, with glowing blue eyes, which definitely had the layout of a female body, being made of round forms and subtle, gentle proportions. The other one was black, with glowing golden eyes and had the rough build generally associated to a male. It was difficult to make out anything more for they had no facial features.

"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked them.

"_Where you are, you will now in time..."_

"_Who we are is for you to find out."_

Naruto looked at them for a moment.

"How do I find that out, again?"

"_Live..."_

"_...Live."_

"_Ask..."_

"_...ask."_

"_Yourself..."_

"_... the World."_

"_Keep your..."_

"_... Curiosity."_

"_And your questions..."_

"_...Will be answered."_

"_But you need to search..."_

"_... but you need to think."_

"_For every bit of knowledge..."_

"_... comes with a price."_

"Huh... What price?" Naruto asked, starting to become confused.

"_Effort..."_

"_... Effort."_

"Err... Riight..." he said unsure. He turned his attention to the sphere behind him, to avoid any more strange conversations regarding him. And the figures where instantly by his side, answering the questions before he actually had time to voice them, answering them before he even had time to think them, the questions he had on a subconscious level and didn't yet understand.

"_The Machine of The World..."_

"_...Since the beginning of Time we've been here."_

"_Yet, this one artefact..."_

"_...is even older than us."_

"_The rings follow the flow..."_

"_... but the flow is uncertain."_

"_There is a maelstrom within it..._

_... and you lie in the centre of it."_

"_Your choices will..."_

"_... decide the fate of your world."_

The dark figure leaned towards him and toughed him with one finger on his forehead, while the white one nudged him gently on the heart. Naruto gasped as a tremendous pull made itself felt, and he fell backwards. The last thing he saw was the rings passing through him, with him going always further towards the middle of the sphere, being engulfed by light, drowning in darkness.

* * *

Naruto looked around, curious. He knew the place he was in, of course. It was his own mindscape, the place where he would usually end up when particularly beaten up and proceed to hear the sarcastic, sadistic comments of Kyuubi, the demon fox sealed inside his body. However, this time no remark came from the cage. Because it was simply not there. Instead of it stood four pillars of an unidentified rock, with what seemed like ancient writings and a paper with the kanji for "Contract" placed upon the upper pillar. Inside the rectangle formed by the pillars was what seemed like pale, bright, blue glass. Upon closer inspection, however, Naruto noticed it looked more like water than glass. With what seemed like a maelstrom in it, just like the one he had once created with his Bunshin in order to provide a safe escape to his team.

"It looks a lot like the symbol in my jumpsuit." he thought.

The surface shimmered and shone like diamonds in a way that was very appealing to Naruto. He tried to remember what he had been doing to get here and why the fox wasn't there. Ah, the Chidori through his heart! Naruto placed his hand on his chest, as if to confirm it was still there. It was that, then. He had died. Perhaps that was the way to heaven.

'This thing looks like a Portal. Perhaps it is what's necessary to get to the afterlife. Well, either way, here I go!'

Naruto reached out with his hand, touching the surface of the liquid with the tip of his finger. It did felt like fresh water in a spring. Distracted by the feeling he only realised what was happening when the liquid had already reached to his forearm. Surprised and a little scared, he pulled away from the Portal with a jerk and observed how the fluid was absorbed by his own skin. Waiting a moment for any noticeable effects, he finally concluded that, whatever it was, was harmless.

"Might as well go on with it. Heh, Now that I'm going to Heaven, maybe I can meet my family…" He had no idea why he was talking out loud, but he didn't have anyone else to talk to and, as far as he knew, there was no assurance that he would find someone any time soon so he figured he might as well talk with him self. There was a moment of hesitance in the boy's movement before he resolutely took a step towards the surface, disappearing in the plasma... Only to find himself in the middle of a stone platform that, as far as he could see, was hanging in the air without visible support.

Naruto fell on his knees and took a peek from one of the cliff's sides. All he could see was sky and clouds under him.

"Great! Am I supposed to wait here until I grow wings or is some angel coming to get me?" He said sarcastically.

"**I would not expect that, kid, but if you want a ride I could provide it…"**

As he searched for the source of the voice, an enormous head came level with him. Right in front of him, a gigantic fox-like creature, with white fur shining in the sunlight stood, looking intently at his face. As he looked at the creature, he realised two things: first, it was not it who was upside down but rather himself, as he could see the ground up above his head. And two, the animal had various tails, swinging in accordance to one another. Naruto had only seen one animal with multiple tails with a resemblance to a fox, if it could be called an animal. He therefore concluded that the one in front of him was Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Something seemed a little off, though: the Kyuubi he knew was blood-red, not white. And spoke with a male voice that reeked of death and malice, almost like a stench that would remain in the air after it had spoken, not with a soft female voice. The only things that remained unaltered were the slid red eyes, the tails and the feeling of power that was ever present in its voice. He wasn't about to let his guard down because of such technicalities, though. Naruto flexed his legs and went into stand by stance, while asking with somewhat suspicious eyes:

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"**What kind of stupid question is that? We're in your mindscape, I'm a fox-like being, and have multiple tails, who the hell do you think I am? I'm Kyuubi, of course!"** Apparently, the new looks hadn't changed the demon fox's short temper.

"Cut the crap! My mind is a sewer and the Demon Fox I know is blood-red in colour and has the most vicious way of looking at me, as if imagining how I would be bloody and messy!," he answered promptly, "My Mindscape is not a fancy field like the one I see above me and below you!" It was quite the mystery as how Naruto had been able to keep such wordplay like that, with above and bellows all mixed so, for a moment, there was silence. Kyuubi tilted her head to the side as if finding the exchange of words amusing.

"**Weell, I got tired of the colour and decided to change. As every girl in the world I also have a sweet side and sometimes like to show it – of course if you keep that up, I'll have to show you my... unpleasant side too – and as for your mindscape, I don't really like sewers, this place is much better, thank you!"**

The deadpan answer was sufficient to throw Naruto off his guard. He manage to regain composure in a matter of seconds though.

"Girl?" he asked. His overall posture must have been rather comical because Kyuubi started to giggle a little, something that threw him even more off guard and managed to scare him a lot too. What the hell was going on?

"**What's with that face? Do I not look like a girl?"** And Kyuubi made a pose.

Now that he thought about it, that was an air of gentleness and a feeling of general girlishness towards Kyuubi. Except that would be impossible. Naruto was fairly sure that Kyuubi was a male.

"That's impossible! I'm certain Kyuubi was a male!" he said.

"**Oh!,"** the fox made, while blinking,** "That would be because of my lost tails. But now that I got them back, I'm back to my older self too!"**

The conversation was making no sense to Naruto but, before he actually had the time to go and ask another question, Kyuubi said:

"**Why the hell are we having this conversation in this silly way? Come on grab this!" **And Kyuubi extended a Tail towards him.

"What?" Asked Naruto, astonished.

"**Just grab it, come on!"** And flicked the tail in front of him, tickling his face.

"Stop that!" And he grabbed the tail.

Kyuubi lifted him from the platform he was standing on and lowed him towards her. About half way through, Naruto suddenly felt the pull come from the exact opposite direction and found himself upside down, falling towards the ground and Kyuubi. It would have been a nasty fall if she didn't catch him with another tail of hers. Apparently, the platform had a gravity of its own, that only made itself felt at short distances. To Naruto's great surprise, Kyuubi put him on the top of her head.

"Hey, hey!" he made to get Kyuubi's attention, "What's this crap about lost tails? You're the nine tails demon fox there's nothing more to it, and last time I checked you had them all! And what are YOU doing here? Heaven is for the righteous like me not for demons like you!"

This seemed to piss Kyuubi off.

"**FOR THE LAST TIME, THIS IS YOUR MINDSCAPE! AND I AM NOT A DEMON! AND MY NAME IS NOT KYUUBI, NOR ARE WE DEAD!"**

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean, it's not your name? Of course it is your name! And I'm pretty sure I can't live without the heart Sasuke stole from me..."

Kyuubi flicked one of the tails in front of him, in a clear sign for him to grab on to it, and placed him on the ground in front of her. Then she sat down and, straightening her back and assuming a pose of playful importance, she said:

"**Now listen well, 'cause I won't gonna say this again: I,"** And she flicked one of her enormous tails, pointing to herself, **"am not called Kyuubi. Of course my name is too complicated for you to say in its original form. Its translation is far too complex. Part of it would be Kitsune, so that's how I am going to introduce my self to you."** Kyuubi proudly straightened herself even more and continued, locking her eyes with his,** "I am Kitsune, the Goddess of Mischief and Playfulness, not some petty demon. I was what I was because I had lost three of my original tails, rendering me unbalanced, assuming the form of a male, and becoming unstable, and vicious, and malicious and you know what I mean..."**

"And evil..." Naruto added.

"**And evi- Whaat? No, I'm not evil," **the Kitsune said mortified, **"It was all because of the lost tails, you see! Without my normal number of them, I become unbalanced. Tails are the Tailed-Beasts heart, if they get to miss, we become corrupted."**

"Oh, yeah, and how did you lost them?" Naruto retorted.

"**They were not lost."** Kyuubi answered sadly, **"They were stolen."**

"Huh?" Naruto was becoming confused. He honestly couldn't make out how the hell someone was going to steal one tail from a gigantic fox.

"**Yes, stolen. And by one of your village. You never asked yourselves why I would only attack Konoha most of times?"**

"Well, we figured it was one of those crazy demon beast things, you know..." Naruto said sarcastically. Deep inside, however, he was astonished with that piece of information, "Anyway, what does one stand to gain by stealing you some tails?"

"**You really have no idea what our tails are, do you?"**

"Well, tails are, like... appendices, right... they are used for... maintain balance while in movement... that's about it." he concluded.

"**Baka!"** Kyuubi said, **"A Bijuu's tails are its soul. And its source of power too. So by stealing my tails, the culprit was able to obtain more power."**

"That doesn't still explain why you're here..." Naruto remarked. Kyuubi seemed a little pissed by the sudden change in the topic but managed to hide it.

"**After you were killed by that... boy, something I definitely was not expecting happened: you entered the Lifestream. And most surprising of it all, you took me with it!" **Kyuubi started,** "The Lifestream is an energy field, of some sort, that is known to be the shortest path to heaven or whatever, and only the pure of heart are able to do it," **she said smartly, effectively answering Naruto's question before it left his mouth and therefore keeping him from disrupting her story again, **"So, it is not surprising that I was dumbstruck for being able to enter too. As much as I try to deny it, truth was I was not exactly pure of heart at that very moment – nor had I been in the near past..."**

"Well, yeah... I suppose killing hundreds of innocents might do that to ya..." Naruto managed to slip between her speech.

"**Shut up... Anyway, there's a catch as to entering the Lifestream." **Kyuubi explained, **"You see, the Lifestream as a sort of defence mechanism. It's job is to cleanse of all impurities the ones that manage to enter it... Regrettably, that usually means your body. So I, in all my wisdom and good will, I decided to protect you – 'cause, let me tell you, you were getting one hell of a beat up at the time."** Now Naruto understood: the fluffy thing he had felt, while on his mindscape before, had been Kyuubi protecting him! **"Of course I suffered a lot of damage myself for that, but I'm pretty tough for a girl, you know."** Kyuubi seemed to like gloating about her power and endurance, **" And you really didn't lose a thing in that, since the Lifestream interacted with your eyes and body, which allowed me to have a more deep influence in the creation of your bloodline... although that wouldn't have been possible to create such a powerful bloodline without **_**their**_** agreement and intervention... And without being **_**there**_** too..."** she finished rather thoughtfully. Naruto, on his part was a turmoil of emotions. He finally exploded, unable to contain himself any longer.

"A BLOODLINE?" he screamed in shock, something that actually felt like a small hurricane to Kyuubi's sensitive ears, "OOOH YEEAH! I'M AWSOME, ALRIGHT!"

"**Brat..."** Kyuubi started dangerously slow, **"SHUT THE HELL UP!"**

"Erm... right. So anyway what's this bloodline of mine?" Although he was no longer shouting his lungs out of his chest, Naruto still felt somewhat at unrest, something that showed in the way he kept jumping from one foot to the other.

"**I don't know. That is something for you to find out. Anyway, after that rough episode, I was rewarded, and most righteously, after all the trouble I went through, with my lost tails. I am once again a complete being, perfect in every way you can imagine!"** Okay, Naruto thought, so maybe the tails wasn't the only thing that had remained unchanged in Kyuubi: it's enormous ego seemed to be fairing equally well.

"Say, Fox, what's this deal about my bloodline ability? What do you mean by having influence in it? And just in which way, pray tell me, can some one steal such an enormous thing as a tail from you?" he asked.

"**FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT A FOX, I'M A VIXEN! A GIRL!" **Kyuubi shouted, exasperated, **"Just how much do you **_**not**_** know about bloodlines, kid?"**

"Hey, let's get something straight... Vixen." he said awkwardly. It was strange to address Kyuubi as a female, "1. Don't call me kid, brat, nor anything like that. I'm 14 now, I'm not a kid anymore. 2. I don't know much since the Hyuuga or the Uchiha and, for that matter, all other clans in Konoha, don't go around distributing pamphlets about how they got their bloodline or how they work..."

"**Answers:," **Kyuubi said teasingly **"1. Sure thing... midget."** she laughed as Naruto trembled in indignation, **"And about the clans not going around telling about their bloodlines, well... This is a dangerous world and the more secrets an individual has, the more difficult to beat him it is…**

**I don't actually know how we, Bijuu, came to be. Although we are not really tailed demons, but rather what you should call deities. As I told you before, I myself, am the Kitsune Goddess of Mischief and Playfulness, and as me, all the other 'Bijuu' have their particular traits and abilities. Our origins are lost in the realms of time, much like Humankind itself. What I know is that, as far as our memory goes – and believe me we have very good memories – humans and Bijuu have formed contracts. These contracts would be good for both parts: the human in question would develop a special ability and the Bijuu would see its life force spread through the world, amplifying its influence. The Bijuu would also have the opportunity to absorb some the knowledge of the human in question, therefore being able to adapt a changing world. There were other benefits but… you're to young to know about those…" **She smiled at the indignation his face showed.** "This is how your Hyuuga clan's Byakuugan came to be. They made a deal with me and I gave them the bloodline. This is probably either forgotten, or hidden in the most deep and dark basement the Hyuuga have in their estate."**

Kyuubi's voice turned darker, almost like if she was the demon once again **"But one day a young Hyuuga approached me. He said he was there to pay his respects to me. He flattered me and I foolishly fell to his trick. He stole me three tails. When a Bijuu loses a tail he or she also becomes more imperfect. The result of me being deprived from my tails was what you saw: I became incomplete, turned into a male, my consciousness failed me and become a rampaging monster."**

"Are you saying we males are incomplete?" Naruto asked, "Who stole the tails? I never heard anything about it and I'm pretty sure that, even if I happened to have fallen asleep during that particular history class, I would have paid attention to such a fantastic story…"

"**It wasn't something that man would have wanted to be recorded, Naruto. But the power of the tails along with his already present Byakuugan, gave birth to an entirely different bloodline. The name of this man was Hyuuga Madara."** Seeing his blank face, Kyuubi added **" He changed his name. He became Uchiha Madara."**

Naruto blinked before realisation hit him, "Uchiha! That's Sasuke's family name! You mean to tell me the Sharingan came to be through stealing your tails?"

"**Yes… but such a vile act did not go unpunished. You have heard of Mangekyou Sharingan, right?" **Naruto nodded darkly. Of course he had heard. It was the reason he had died in the first place. **"Because the power was stolen and not freely given, the contract was corrupted and the bloodline became tainted. The Mangekyou is the epitome of that corruption. The user becomes slowly insane and generally ends up killing him or herself, or getting killed. Once again such facts usually appear on the males." **Kyuubi seemed to be enjoying teasing him about his gender **"There are two ways an Uchiha can gain the Mangekyou: by murdering his best friend, or by sacrificing himself in order to save another life. The second is usually fatal but it can happen. If you escape alive, the simple fact that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for another would give you the Mangekyou. Then the curse would be lifted and the user would have true access to the powers of the bloodline. Trouble is, I've never heard of anyone actually achieving it. Most of them choose murder and end up mad…"**

"I think I know someone who has succeeded in achieving it..." Naruto said. At a questioning look from the Vixen, he continued, "Hatake Kakashi, my sensei, he showed me a Sharingan that is not like the normal ones, with the three comas. And since he hasn't murdered his best friend 'cause he already died, I guess his Sharingan his the full powered Mangekyou, don't you think?"

"**But, Hatake is not a Uchiha branch. How come he has the Sharingan?"**

"I dunno, he never told me. The eye seemed to have been implanted there, though."

"**Fitting. The only one achieving the true Mangekyou is someone not from the Uchiha's."**

"What do you mean "true Mangekyou"? Isn't the other one a Mangekyou too?"

"**Well, yes… but it's a tainted one so you don't have truly access to the bloodline true power…"**

"What power is it?"

"**That you'll have to ask your sensei, once we get back."**

Naruto looked to the portal up above.

"Right! And how do I get back?"

"**Through the same way you came here, of course."**

"But the portal is hanging in the air, I can't reach it."

"**You call yourself a ninja, right? If you don't have the tools, or the abilities, make them."**

"Are you crazy? I can't fly!"

"**Why not? Birds can…"**

* * *

**A/N.: YAY! A new chapter! Sorry for taking so long, I've been running away from hordes of exams, in order to write this. Anyway, The Machine of the World, is a fantasy device the Ancient Greeks believed showed the way the Universe worked. For anyone who has read Portuguese literature, it is mentioned in "Os Lusiadas" by Luis de Camoes. Don't go and try to find him though, this fella died a few (read a lot of) years ago. Anyway review, ok? And sorry for the mistakes. **

**I gotta go now before the exams find me... OH GOD! THEY'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DOOR! HELP **


	3. Meeting of the Minds

The Nightshade

Chapter III

No matter how much he tried to strain his mind, Naruto just couldn't come up with a good way to reach the portal. He had made various attempts, some very foolish, in order to do it, but they had all failed. He had tried everything: from building artificial wings, an idea that didn't work too well, since he ended up smashed on the ground after the wings broke during the fall – if he hadn't been in his mindscape, the impact might have proven fatal -, to a more ninja like approach, which consisted in having several Kage Bunshin make the Rasengan and therefore create a small hurricane that would throw him to the platform. Problem was, he really didn't have control as to where he was actually thrown, and he decided to quit the idea.

Several days had passed since he first stepped through the portal, and Naruto was starting to acknowledge Kyuubi as a close friend and someone to be trusted. The Vixen had, however, a few odd particularities. She seemed particularly inclined into pranking him. And Naruto, being the consummate prankster, did not like to be pranked and not be able to pay back.

There had even been one time when he had been resting atop Kyuubi's head, in the middle of her fur – which was almost as high as he was when he stood up. After he returned to the ground, there had been this large 'Thud!' like noise behind him. He turned back to Kyuubi, only to see this large creature, almost half the size of him, armoured and with horrid teeth in the most disgusting mouth he had ever seen. The thing turned towards him, an opened its mouth, revealing a lot of leech like things in the place of where should be its tongue. At that point in time, Naruto couldn't avoid letting out a horrified scream and tried to form a Rasengan. Something useless, for Kyuubi smashed the creature with her paws.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" he asked.

"**Oh, this was just a flea. They sometimes get in my fur, you know..."**Kyuubi said casually, **"Quite the nasty buggers, if you ask me. They suck my blood and irritate my skin."** And she scratched her back with one of her paws as if to prove her point.

"AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT, FOR GOD'S SAKE? I'VE BEEN ON YOUR FUR A LOT RECENTLY, WHAT IF I HAD BEEN CAUGHT BY ONE OF THOSE?"

"**Well, I thought maybe you would like to help me get rid of them..."** she said looking to him. She kept looking to his horrified face, until she broke up, not being able to keep the laughter back, **"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh man, you're just too good to be true, Ah, Ah, Ah! You should see the look on your face!"** the smashed thing vanished in a puff of smoke right in front of Naruto's eyes. Obviously, it had been an illusion of some sorts, but Naruto had never been very good at spotting such things, **"I've never had this much fun since... hell, I don't even remember. AH AH AH AH AH AH!"**

"You... you tricked me..." Naruto said dangerously before exploding, "WHAT THE HELL! I'L GET YOU FOR THIS ONE, YOU IDIOT!"

"**MWAHAHAHAH!"**

Naruto looked at the clouds, running on the sky above him. He had been laying on the ground for quite sometime now, watching the sun setting and the platform with the Portal standing there, above him, teasingly. He reached out with his arm and closed his fist, as if to grab the hovering platform. He couldn't reach it. Not yet. Something was amiss. He had failed to understand something important.

Never before in his entire life had Uzumaki Naruto felt like that. It was a new emotion, a feeling of seriousness and desire for understanding that had not been present before. There were so many questions he wanted to see answered. So many doubts troubling his mind. If this was his mindscape, if this was part of him, then why couldn't he reach for the exit? Why was it where it was, in the first place? And where the hell was Kyuubi?

Kyuubi. She had told him something about having changed that particular spot, if it could be called that, of his mindscape. If so, did she have something to do with the location of the portal? And if she had, why did she placed it in such an unconceivable place? And then there was the matter of what was happening outside his mindscape. Kyuubi had said he hadn't died. Then what had happened while he entered the Lifestream? No matter how much he struggled, Naruto couldn't remember anything from after being sucked into the vortex of light. There was something there, of that he was sure, but he was unable to grasp it. A flicker of light in the corner of his eye, surrounded by darkness, that disappeared as soon as he tried to look straight at him.

The day light had diminished significantly now, and stars had started to appear in the sky. Every now and then, as minutes passed, a small falling star would be seen in different spots of his field of vision. Naruto kept looking at them, while a soft breeze nudged him. He had never been one to spend time looking at the stars and only now he realized what he had missed. There was something soothing in them, looking at the Heavens made him calmer and more apt for contemplative tasks, such as the one he was in now.

How did the stars in his mindscape become so very well represented? His knowledge of their position in the sky was pretty close to nothing and yet he couldn't help but feel they were in their right place in there. Had it been Kyuubi the one to place them like that? And if not, then how? How did he automatically know where to place stars in the sky if he never had bothered to look at them attentively before? Now that he thought about it... How did a human mind work? He could enter his own mindscape, could others do the same? He had heard Ino scream something about Sakura having two minds on the Chuunin exam, was that something he was supposed to have too? Or was it a particular trait of Sakura-chan? Of course he had two minds in him but he was almost sure Ino wasn't referring to a situation like the one he was in. As far as he knew, he was the only Jinchuuriki in the Leaf... and he was fairly certain there were no others besides him.

He couldn't help but wonder. The situation there was starting to feel more and more like when he and his team-mates had taken the bell test. There was something he was supposed to understand, but what? _A ninja must read beneath the underneath._ The words of his Jounin sensei rang in his hears even though no one was there to talk to him. Was this a test Kyuubi had made for him? If so what was he supposed to accomplish?

Naruto sighed, tired. He was not used to have his mind so filled with unanswered questions. He used to accept things as they came, but apparently that time was over.

A loud rumble told him that Kyuubi was coming. The tremors she produced while jumping from cliffs to cliffs and while running could only be compared to her oversized ego. Although, Naruto noted, she had never used such ego to downgrade him, like she had done when she was still incomplete. There was some things he still didn't understand about that story, but such things could wait. The important now was to confront Kyuubi and figure out how to return to the living world.

There was a crash all around him when Kyuubi landed, maintaining his body right above his.

Naruto stood unaffected.

"**Sh!... You're no fun, anymore..."** The giant Vixen said. It wasn't a matter of being or not being fun, Naruto thought. She had done it so many times in the past days that he had already grown used to it. He wasn't about to tell her that, anyway. She might get creative again and then he would have to watch his back more often until he figured out her new trick or prank.

"Kyuubi... you said you changed my mindscape to your liking, right?" he asked, serious.

"**Yes."** short, direct answer. Just like Kyuubi.

"Then pray tell me," he said, assuming a meditating pose and talking in a slow, wondering voice, "why did you put the exit that far up?" he finished, looking at her dead in the eyes.

The Vixen Goddess looked at him, as if trying to decide whether or not to answer the question.

"**I had wondered. I had wondered." **she said looking intently at him, **"I wondered how long it would take for you to figure that one out. You are correct,"** she admitted, **"It was I who placed the exit in the sky, so that you would find it harder to reach it."**

Naruto just looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.

"**There are two ways to get out of here: Either you ask me to carry you up there, situation in which this will be our last time speaking to each other, or you can work your ass off, find a way to exit this portion of your mindscape on your own, and prove me that you are ready, fit, and otherwise worth of being taught and helped by me."**

"What?" he asked, "I understand the whole concept of training and have to prove myself, but why do this now? Why here and not in the real world?"

"**Granted, there's only so much you can do here in your mindscape. And your body won't evolve and get stronger like in the 'real' world. However, you'll be facing that harsh world as soon as you wake up and you need to be at least mentally, if not physically, prepared."**

"I don't understand! What's all of this about being prepared? Harsh world? I've been living in that harsh world for fifteen years, most of it alone. How am I not prepared?" he asked incredulously.

"**Yes, it is true that you have managed to survive for fifteen years in the real world. And look where that led you! To a backstabbing from your supposed best friend!"** Kyuubi said, a little acidly.

"It wasn't a back stab, it was a full frontal attack!" Naruto said getting edgy at the topic. The huge Goddess looked at him for a moment, before proceeding, more calmly:

"**See? That's exactly what I'm talking about," **she said softly, **"Backstabbing doesn't necessarily mean you were attacked from behind. It means you were betrayed, eluded by someone who was supposed to be an ally and yet wanted nothing more than use you to his or her own profit."**

"Sasuke didn't betray me, I agreed to being killed, and he promised he would go back to Konoha! HE PROMISED HE WOULD GO BACK TO SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto snapped, angrily.

"**Do you really believe that?"** The question hung in the air for quite sometime until Naruto finally answered, bowing his head pathetically: "No..."

"**Naruto... it is very well that you are trusting, high-spirited and all that. But there is a difference between being pure, pursuing one's goals and believing in the good in all people's heart, and being blind by an innocence that does you no good, by a recklessness that gives you no advantage and bound by foolish desires of getting recognition from every single person you know. What I'm trying to say, Naruto," **Kyuubi said, re-enforcing her point of view, **"is that you need not to stop being who you are in order to succeed. I'm only asking you to polish some rough edges of your personality. I'm asking you too stop being a child and grow up to become the adult everyone will end up looking up to, without loosing the humanity all children possess. That is the truly beautiful and recognisable way of becoming a man, and the most assured path to the Hokage seat you have desired for so long."**

Naruto sat for a moment, looking down.

"So," he started, lifting his head slightly, to look at her dead in the eyes, "What are you waiting for?..." there was a glint in his eyes, determination and purpose, as if nothing in the world could stop him then, almost emitting an aura that could have stood up with the Kyuubi's own one, "Raise me!"

* * *

There is this thing about humans. As long as a human as the will to live, the will to improve, he will overcome any difficulty that comes his way. Some people would classify this quality as being stubborn, or the inability to know when to quit, to keep one's mouth shut. A few moments after his speech, Uzumaki Naruto was already regretting the words that had left his mouth. Kyuubi's method of raising him into the adult he ought to be was not harsh. It was brutal, a total torture. From the psychological point of view at least.

Physical hardships were nothing new to Naruto. He was used to them, it was part of being a ninja. However, he had never faired well against psychological attacks. He got angry easily, he confused himself even more easily. But this, this was breaking him down.

The Kitsune Goddess had made some strange Jutsu (at least in his understanding of the situation). Her tails seemed to flicker above them for a moment before encasing them in a sphere. From that point on, Naruto was forced to face all his previous hardships, being pointed every failure he had made, not in a sympathetic way, but rather in a ruthless one that was purposefully made in order to test his mental strength to the limit – although he did not know that.

The hardest one to bear and surpass was, undoubtedly, the events that had occurred during and after confronting Orochimaru, the fight with Sasuke, his defeat...

Kyuubi looked down at the boy in front of her paws as he grumbled in his sleep and woke up. He sat and looked at her, after analysing their surroundings for some moments.

"That was one hell of a beat up..." he said in ill-humour, "Well? Did I pass?"

The Vixen tilted her head to the side before answering, **"For the moment. What I have in store for you next, though, is not something you can learn or do here, so I'm taking you to the gate as soon as you feel prepared."**

"Hugh... Figures," he said, "the only time you offer help to me for reach the portal is when I can't barely move... Well do it tomorrow, I'm tired. So tired I don't think I will be able to sleep. What was that, by the way?"

"**It was a sort of a Genjutsu, if you must know... It is used to make a person revive past events of his or her life, even though one can't willingly recall. It can be used to treat psychological problems, to help analysing past events to correct one's mistakes... or for torture."**

"That was torture, all right!" Naruto commented. He then fell quiet for a moment, before suddenly rising his head to Kyuubi, asking, "Say, Tsukuyomi wouldn't happen to be a perversion of that Jutsu, would it**?"**

"**As a matter of fact, it is. I'm glad to see you use that head of yours for more than just knocking out Shukaku's vessels."** There was the vixen with her sarcasm again, Naruto thought.

"Teach me how to counter it!" he asked.

The kitsune looked at him and hesitated a little, before replying, **"You aren't ready, yet. When the time comes I will help you but not now."**

"Sh, fine. You're lucky I'm so devastated, or else you would have an hard time making me let this one go, Vixen."

The Giant Kitsune looked down at the boy while he closed his eyes for a moment and rested. He had withstood that pretty well indeed! Any ordinary human would probably break down and not be able to do more than crying their hearts out, let alone make half-hearted threats to a Goddess. But then again, Uzumaki Naruto was no ordinary man.

"Yo, Kyuubi?..."

"**Hrmmm?"**

"How did you appear?"

"**What? Didn't I tell you that I protected you from the stream and then-"**

"No, not that," Naruto interrupted, "how did you appear in this world? Was there some Mother Goddess you were daughter of, or what?"

**I do not know. I'm sure I've already said this to you... You humans used to have quite some legends about how I came t be, but me myself... I don't have a clue."**

"Oh! What kind of stories?" Naruto asked interested.

"**They're not worth telling, frankly. They're nothing interesting..."**

Naruto could feel there was something else going on so he pressed a little more: "Aww, come on, tell me!"

"**NO!"** it was an authentic bark from Kyuubi's part and although it was probably meant to be threatening, it sounded so funny to Naruto that he couldn't help but roll over on the floor, laughing.

"**You are... you are..." **Kyuubi seemed to be having difficulty in finding the right word to express her feelings, **"You are so TROUBLESOME!"**

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! You sound just like Shikamaru! AHAHAHAHAHAH!" Naruto laughed. He then fell into a awkward silence, before saying: "Oh, yeah... I'll have to start working if I wanna go back before they bury me."

"**I wouldn't worry about that. When one enters the Lifestream, the body simply disappears, engulfed by the flow. They don't have a body to bury to begin with."**

"WHAT? But then they think I'm dead! Worse than that, I don't have a body to return to!"

"**Fool. Listen to what you're saying, will ya? Without a body how could you be here in your mindscape?"** Kyuubi asked, lazily cleaning one of her paws, **"The body cannot live without the mind but the reverse is also true... in most cases, anyway. But I agree with you: it's about time you start thinking about getting out of here."**

"Great! But you put that up there, how am I supposed to reach it?" Naruto asked sighing, "I wish I could fly..."

"**Baka. This is your mindscape. Even here, inside the contract boundaries, you are in command. I cannot force you to do anything here, nor can I impose my will. You can change everything if you want... although I rather enjoy the view."**

"Change?" he asked.

"**Change."**

Naruto looked at her for a few seconds before inspecting the surrounding area. Something that had always been disturbing in that pace was the fact that nothing seemed to obey to the laws of the real world. Rock formations would assume the strangest shape, making loops around themselves and such. The clouds would be strange too, both in shape and colours. Naruto was starting to finally understand. The place wasn't subject to the laws of the Universe because it was not directly connected to reality; there, everything was potentially possible, and since this was his mind, he was starting to have the feeling it all depended on his imagination.

Naruto concentrated real hard in just trying to move the ground in front of him a few inches up. In front of him, he heard some rough sounds and opened his eyes to see that a small portion of the ground had been lift from its original place. It was like growing plants but Naruto could tell it was a tiring activity.

Kyuubi looked at the small piece of rock and said, mockingly: **"What? I knew you were bad but I never thought you were this bad! You really beat up everyone's expectations... too bad it's for the worst. Heh, heh – huh?"**

The Kitsune suddenly stopped laughing when she noticed the huge smirk on the boy's face. Almost at the same time, she felt a... pressure on her bum, when a huge rock hand rocketed from the ground and gave her a twist on _that_ place. She blushed so much Naruto was sure he could see the colours even through her fur.

"**YOU DAMN IDIOT, YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT! COME HERE, RIGHT NOW!"**

She started attacking him with her tails and paws, trying to give him a beating, forcing Naruto to resort to his most finely tuned escape techniques, earned through years of pranking and running away from the targets. Her screeches of rage and embarrassment continued to echo through the place; Naruto never thought there would be echo in a mindscape. He continued to dodge her attacks until he finally seized the right opportunity and, landing on one of her swinging tails, used the added momentum to leap through the air into the Portal Platform. The Vixen stood down below (or above him for that matter), since she had risen the platform higher to make it more difficult for him to reach it.

"Now, what do you say to THAT?" he screamed to her, "If this is not using MY head, than I don't know what it is!"

The Goddess just looked at him for a moment, still somewhat reddish on the cheeks, if an animal could be said to have such things, before starting to laugh.

"**Well, go on, you earned it!"**

Naruto made his way to the portal but, before stepping through, he turned back to the vixen and asked, "Kyuubi... Is there anyway to take you out of here. You know like a summoning so that you can get some fresh air?"

"**Sure... if you're allowing to take the risk." **she smirked, **"Just do as you would do a normal summoning. I'll explain latter, right now all you have to know is that you are in a situation that provides you a sort of a contract to me."**

Naruto nodded, saying: "OK! See ya soon, Baka Vixen!" He smirked and leaped through the Gate before she had time to throw him her answer to the insult.

* * *

His body felt cold. He couldn't see a thing; all was darkness. He felt like he was floating, but his body seemed way too heavy for that. He couldn't even move his fingers, let alone his arms and legs. He tried to open his eyes. A bright light made itself visible; a bright light that subdued into a golden glow. There were silhouettes behind, or in the glow, but he couldn't make out the details. He chose to close them again because they were hurting like hell.

"Daddy, Daddy, see him? I told you there was someone here!"

Naruto was sure he had heard someone. But he was too weak to move, too weak to even try and see who or what it was. The last thing he managed to do before passing out, was seeing a distorted face of a strange man before he passed out.

The voices were starting to annoy him. Good moods were never his "forte" (A/N: this is a Latin word sometimes used in other languages such as English. It means strong or strength, meaning in this context that good moods were not one of Naruto's strengths You might be seeing some more of these in the future – after all my main language is a Latin one – I'm Portuguese) in the mornings. He despised noises in the morning. The loud ones deafened him and the small ones presented a titanic torture for his sleepy brain. He decided to teach some manners into whoever was talking while he was trying to sleep.

But all he could do was to grunt some sounds as he half-opened his eyes.

"Oh look! Daddy I think he's waking up, look!" It was a child's voice.

"Don't shout girl, you'll wake up the poor fellow…" a deep voice said.

Naruto looked around him. He was laid on what it seemed to be a bed made of straws. Above him, he could see the adorned ceiling, made of dark polished wood. He did not recognize the wood though… Turning to his left he saw a wall. A white time-darkened wall. Turning to his right he saw a face. A very dark face. A few centimetres away from his nose.

He made a sudden attempt to move away, only to feel a big hand on his shoulder and to hear the deep voice again saying: "Calm down son, all is well. We mean you no harm."

Turning to the source of the voice he saw a man with a painted body. The body was painted in a dark brown colour and he had some adorns on his face, around his eyes, in his ears. A very powerful man, judging from his bulk.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"In the house of Juannes Silvertongue, in the coast of Austerland, in the village of Berasylle. I'm the 'chefe' of this village." The man called Juannes answered "My daughter here found you on the shore to the south, lying unconscious in the sand." He pointed to the little girl Naruto had first seen "You've been asleep for almost two weeks. I was starting to wonder if you were really a man and not some kind of strange plant." He smirked.

Naruto was starting to notice that something was not quite right. But he couldn't seem to be able to tell what so he asked, more to keep a conversation than anything else: "Why are you painted?"

"What?" the man seemed surprised by his question. Naruto noticed that he had a strange accent in the way he talked.

"Your body… it's all covered with dark brown ink…" Naruto felt his throat dry and was having some difficulty in voicing his thoughts.

The man started laughing loudly. It took some time before he was able to talk normally and even then he seemed to be trying to suppress laughter.

"Heh, heh… you're funny. This is my natural skin colour, young man. In our continent, most people have darkened skin. You would have too if you lived under this frying heat as well… we do have some people with white skin like you, although not in our village…"

"I'm sorry…" Naruto said "And… I don't mean to be rude nor anything but… can I have some water?"

"Sure, sure." Juannes answered before turning to his daughter "Sarah, go fetch some water for our friend…" he looked questioningly to Naruto.

"The name is Naruto" he answered.

"Right. Go fetch some water to Naruto, will you?" The little girl nodded and ran towards the exit of the room. Moments later, Naruto heard the sound of a door closing and the footsteps outside the door.

He was starting to notice what was off in that place. Wherever he looked, what seemed to be like faint, almost invisibles, streams of yellowish light were wavering in front of him. In all directions possible. He also started to notice that the streams seemed to shift accordingly to his and other people movements. It was almost like an echo of those movements. Like steam in the wind. Noticing the curious look the man was giving him, Naruto decided to pursue the conversation to avoid embarrassing questions.

"Look, I'm sorry I said that about your skin. I've never seen someone with that skin colour… it's just… weird." He said in a low voice. He didn't want to antagonize the ones who had apparently saved him. "I'm sorry." He quickly asked again.

"Oh, don't worry." Replied the man "You look strange too. My daughter looks strange. We all look strange because we all are different from each other. And yet we carry uncanny resemblances among us, so different yet so alike, it's what makes the world beautiful… If you ever looked yourself in the mirror, you would know what I mean…"

Unconsciously, Naruto rose his hands to his cheeks "Tell me about it." He whispered.

The man seemed to understand the gesture.

"Yes, that marks on your face are part of the deal. It makes you look like an animal, if you forgive me. Not that is a bad thing. Might show a close relationship with nature… But I would say your eyes complement it too."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked "You must have seen people with blue eyes before, right?"

"Well, yes but… they were rather common – much unlike your… perhaps its better if you see for yourself. Wait here a moment." The man got up from the floor where he had been sitting and walked out of the room. Naruto took the opportunity to flick his hand several times in front of him. The strange streams moved accordingly. He suspected that it had something to do with the strange land he was on…

Juannes returned after a little bit carrying a hand-held mirror. He handed it to Naruto and looked expectantly to him. "Well, go on."

Naruto looked at his own reflection without understanding. All was as it used to be… With a start he noticed that his eyes were slightly different: they were still blue but instead of being homogeneous they were divided into two different shades, one of a darker blue and another of a lighter tone (A/N: much like the yin-yang, just blue and without the dots). He handed the mirror back, dumbfound, the words of Kyuubi echoing on his head _**"which allowed me to have a more deep influence in the creation of your bloodline..."**_

'Could this be the manifestation of my bloodline ability?' he wondered. Naruto was starting to feel a little excited with the prospect of developing and testing his new-found power, but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed too: he could not see any use for his Kekkei Genkai.

Suddenly realising that Juannes was still there, he said "I suppose you're right. I should have realised sooner about what you were talking about…" He didn't want to elaborate further as he couldn't find a good excuse for his eyes appearance. He didn't feel about explaining his bloodline to a complete stranger after Kyuubi's remarks on the subject.

"Don't worry about it" the man answered, "I suppose that you were quite disoriented after being unconscious for so long. It is only natural to not remember such petty things as one's appearance."

"Right…" Naruto agreed, glad that the man was not pursuing the subject.

Suddenly there was a sound of a door opening and closing and then Sarah was in the room with a full jar of water. Naruto drank it eagerly. It was fresh, it was delicious. He felt like he had been without drinking for many days. Which, he realised, had indeed happened.

Finally satisfied he sighed, contented. He then asked, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like I'm not grateful for your cares nor anything but I really would like to be able to go home… Can you tell me exactly where am I? I've never heard of this country before, so I guess I really am lost…"

Juannes looked like he was thinking about something.

"Where are you from, kid?" he asked.

Naruto made a face. He didn't like being called a kid. He was fourteen, god damn it, he was a ninja!

"I'm from Fire Country, more specifically from Konoha, the Hidden Village in the Leaves." He answered foolishly. It was not until he had talked that he realised that it was a bit too dangerous to proclaim his allegiance to Konoha openly in an unknown country. He didn't know whether those people where friends, foes, or neither…

Apparently it was the latter since the man merely stated "You're from Fire Country, huh? That might be complicated…" He turned to him "You see Naruto, we here in Berasylle have no open relationship with Konoha at all. After all we are in another continent… also you are on the farthest shore of this continent and you need to get to the other side in order to reach the city of Argentia. If I remember correctly, there is a port there which ships regularly to the Wave country. From there you must be able to reach Fire Country…"

"You know an awful lot of Geography, mister…" Naruto stated awed.

"I was once a traveller myself. Unfortunately I cannot leave my village so I'm afraid you'll have to travel your path alone… We are a small community" he added apologetically "and cannot spare you any of our members. Here in Berasylle we need everyone to survive. Life is hard…"

"Don't worry, I'm though!" Naruto answered. He got up and said "well then mister, all I ask you is to point me the direction and I'll follow right away!"

Juannes just laughed "Hold on! You won't want to cross the desert without eating and drinking properly before, now want you?" A growl from Naruto's stomach gave all the answer needed "also, you might want to put something on, before you go on in your adventure, boy" he smirked.

Naruto looked down and felt himself go red. It was a good thing the little girl had left the room when he got up… He was totally naked.

"Don't worry" Juannes remarked "Well get you something suitable for your journey. But first, just put on these light clothes and come with me. I'll give you something to eat." He pointed at a chair with some clothes on it.

Naruto nodded and proceeded to dress himself, before following Juannes out of the room.

Naruto had never seen such a strange meal. He must have awakened around dinner time because, as soon as he made out of the room, he started smelling food being cooked.

Nothing would have prepared him for what he saw, though. The whole village appeared to have gathered at its leader's house and was occupied in preparing what looked like a banquet. Whenever the villagers realised he was there, they would take a quick look at him, bow their heads slightly and follow their way.

Juannes guided him outside the house. Walking alongside with him in the street, Naruto realised he had made a mistake evaluating the situation: The villages wasn't cooking in the chefe's house, they were cooking all over the place. It struck him as strange that so many people would make such festivities only because he was awake. He decided to voice his thoughts to Juannes.

"You were found on the chores of the great ocean, Naruto. We believe that that ocean is the gate for rebirth. You were reborn as a new person, Naruto, and yet you're still the same. We're rejoicing not only you being well once again but also the event of rebirth itself. You must have seen remarkable things in your journey…" the man stated.

Naruto didn't replied. He didn't really remember a thing from his journey and, now that he thought about it, how the hell had he got from the place where he battled with The Bastard to a continent on the other side of the world?

"Why do you call it Great Ocean?" he asked.

"The Great Ocean, Naruto." Juannes answered "It is called like that because he is very large. Some of us believe it ends in the very road to afterlife. It is a road with only one way; very few have come back, and none in our lifetime. Excluding you, of course. That's also why we're celebrating."

"Right…" Naruto hesitated. His first thought was that the people on this village were slightly insane. A road to afterlife? But then he remembered his own thoughts on his mindscape, and given his past experiences, the idea didn't sound that bad at all. After all, he was sure he had died; What better way to explain his presence in the living world than the one being given to him? He couldn't think of any and besides… the idea was rather appealing…

"Where are we going?"

"To the festivities clearing. You can have your dinner there." Juannes smiled.

"Cool!"

* * *

**A/N: YES! I'M ALIVEEE!**

**Alright, not much changes here, just added a few more dialogue and didn't have Naruto learn "Air Walking". This is because I already had a much more ambitious project for him in the original story and realised this would be unnecessary. We're gonna fly high, friends!** **Also, please forgive me for taking so long to update and don't expect me to do so soon. We're at a critical time, here in Faculty: It's the end of the semester and of course that means more exams. Please kindly review the story, if you have ideas based on the original say so, and if you find some inconsistencies with the original please tell me. Some may be intentional but most of them will not be.**

**Also, answering to one review I had: I know that Kyuubi, having twelve tails should be called Juunibi or something. Her name, the name Naruto can't even pronounce, however, is not in japanese, cause then all the sentence in which Kyuubi states this fact would be absurd, since Japanese is their mother language.**

**Still, thanks for the review.**

**Come again. **


	4. Busted!

While walking towards the feast site, Naruto had the opportunity to get a real look at the village he was in. Really, it wasn't an outstanding village. The houses had, however, a strange bulky look to them, and were made of a material Naruto couldn't correctly identify. It certainly wasn't a regular one. The village also seemed to be missing the tall buildings that were inherent to ninja villages, although such aspect came as no surprise to Naruto: he already had guessed that this was no ninja village. Here and there, he could see ruins of other buildings and, far away, on where he supposed would be the village's gates, enormous walls protecting the perimeter. When asked about the ruins, Juannes answered: "This was once a proud an wealthy city. A trading centre, the last bastion of civilization before the Great Ocean. These used to be enormous buildings that stretched up until they almost touched the skies. But then, the Great Disaster came, and all but the smallest buildings, protected by the taller ones, were able to withstand the destruction..." he said with a sad look on his face.

"What happened?" asked Naruto, eyes wide.

"We don't know... After the accident, if it was one, the city got more and more deserted. There just weren't conditions for people to live well here. The only ones who stayed were the ones for whom this place was truly their home, their treasure. But of course the traders couldn't stay in a place were there was no business and left. And with them left the wealth of the city. The people you see here today, Naruto, are the descendants of those who stayed. Life is harsh here. This is the only village in this side of the continent, and are separated from the others by the great Suranamanara desert and then by the Jaw. Only after it can you reach the closest port village of Argentia. That is of course if you take the small road. If you try to cross the continent in all its length, you've got a lot to walk..."

"Jaw?" asked Naruto without understanding.

"It's what we call to the great chain of mountains that surrounds the eastern part of the Suranamanara desert. Quite interesting rock formations if you ask me..."

"Why?"

"Well, you'll see when you get there... If you get there, that is." Naruto looked to see if the man was kidding with him but Juannes had the most serious look on his face as he watched the horizon. His journey didn't seem to be easy at all.

Naruto had felt some reluctance into taking the first bites. The food before him was cooked in a way he had never seen before. The meat given to him was cooked in a spicy, exquisite sauce but had pieces of fruit to complement. Once he took the first bite, however, all the reluctance disappeared to give place to a ravishing appetite that destroyed meals like a hurricane destroyed straw houses. Although they tried, most of the attendants to the banquet failed miserably at hiding the astonishment they felt as Naruto demolished bowls after bowls, dishes after dishes. Many of them though, showed amusement.

Juannes, who had been sitting beside him, offered him a drink he had never seen before. When they told him it was an alcoholic beverage, he tried to refuse but, as they assured him its alcohol gradient was small, he ventured a small sip.

It was indeed delicious and he was soon asking for more.

The night progressed pleasantly, with the entire village gathered around the round table , laughing, dancing and talking, a large bonfire lit in the middle.

Naruto had been asked various times to recount the events that had led him to drift in the "Great Ocean". At first he had been rather awkward and reluctant, but the strange drink released his tongue so he ended up telling them the story of his life. He did, however, have the care to left the matters concerning Kyuubi outside the talk but couldn't help but feel some discomfort under the dense scrutiny an old woman was giving him. This particular woman was very adorned and covered with necklaces and the like. The old lady wore a dark kimono like dress, with markings that reminded him oddly of some statues he had seen at the Temple of Fire back when he was still on his land. She also had dark skin as everyone else in the village and Naruto remembered they didn't have anyone with light colour skin in the place. Her hair had an almost silvery glow, and the facial hair along with the big eyebrows reminded him vividly of Rock Lee. Her skin fell in elegant waves towards her neck, which contributed to give her a sagely look, someone who was worthy of praise and respect. The woman didn't seem to be able to walk on her own seeing how she was being carried by four younger women. She eventually gave orders to take her away, although she did it in a language Naruto didn't understand, and he relaxed, relieved that he had escaped those odd looks.

Seeing his curiosity Juannes said "That's the village's seer. She sees the future and other important things."

"For real?" He asked.

The man nodded. Naruto turned to see the old woman again but she had already disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

Naruto resumed his tale, pleased to have people who seemed to be willing to pass the time with him, even if it was because of something he new almost nothing about. It was a feeling he had only started to get late in his life and still a new one at that.

One by one, people started to head towards their houses. Naruto was feeling quite sleepy by then but tried to hide it. His pride didn't seem to let him sleep when he had almost promised to leave that day. Fortunately for him, Juannes didn't seem to think it was a good time to depart the village because he turned towards him and said:

"Naruto, I know you are eager to get home but perhaps it's a good idea to get some sleep before going, don't you think? And we would like to prepare you some clothing for the journey and that will take at least a week… Are you willing to wait?" he asked.

Naruto could only nod before following the man to his house. He crashed on the bed and got up early the next morning: at around two in the afternoon.

* * *

The wind blew softly, the waves gently nudging the sand on the beach, as Naruto sat on the shore, watching the crescent moon rise in the night sky. The stars were different there. He could not recognise any of the representations the Sandaime had once shown him on a book.

"**It appears we have to stay here longer than expected, hm?"** The voice of Kyuubi, the Vixen Goddess of Mischief arrived to his ears just a little sooner than it took for her body to come into his field of view.

"Apparently." Naruto answered, lying on his back, looking at the starry sky, while the Vixen made herself comfortable, with her head against his belly. It was usually the opposite. Kyuubi would normally be much larger than she was now, when he summoned her, and it would be the kitsune who serve as a pillow to him. But this was fine too. "Juannes seems to think that I need some clothes. More proper ones to cross the desert." Naruto furrowed his brows, trying to concentrate. He had something important to ask her, he just couldn't remember what...

"**Well, he does have a point, you know... Crossing a desert is no small task."**

"I already crossed a desert more than once." He answered.

Kyuubi turned her head towards him. **"Crossing Suna's desert doesn't count, as you were accompanied by team-mates and only crossed the border line of it. Believe me, crossing a desert is not for pussies."**

Naruto chose to not answer her statement. He honestly couldn't be bothered at the moment and, truth to be told, he didn't think he could win the argument once it had started.

The sky was unusually starry there. He supposed it had to be with the fact that there was no real big light source for many kilometres around them.

The beach they were laying in had been suggested to him by the village's leader, Juannes, when asked about some place where Naruto could train without risking being seen and, therefore, have his village's secret techniques being copied. The beach was located between high cliffs and was almost impossible for anyone without ninja skills to reach it. A perfect place to train unnoticed, indeed. Truth to be told, Naruto couldn't care less about his village's secret techniques – it wasn't as if he had any real big secret technique to reveal, anyway. But the isolated place provided the perfect place for him to summon and spend time with the Kitsune.

"**You know, you really should accept the offering they made you..."** Juannes had come earlier that day with the proposal of training him and better preparing him for the continent crossing. Naruto had been touched for his concern but, on the other hand, he really wanted to go home. Not wanting to sound rude or anything, he carefully answered he would think on the offer.

"It's not that I don't want to stay here. Quite on the contrary, I feel quite well in Berasylle. At least here people don't treat me like trash..." He shrugged off the apologetic glance Kyuubi shot him, "But, like it or not, Konoha is my home. All of my life is there: my memories, my sadness, the few happy moments I had – stop with that face!" Kyuubi jumped a little before soothing her features from the painful guilt that washed through her, "You're not to blame, from what you've told me!.. And my friends, and the people I could have considered family are there too. That's my place..." He finished.

"**I really understand what you're trying to say, believe me, I do. But wouldn't it be better to train and get stronger, and actually arrive there safe and sound, than taking unnecessary risks and risk not making through it all? Would your friends prefer to see you alive and well, or having their fears and suspicions of your death – as I'm sure they are having, after you disappeared – confirmed?"** the Vixen asked.

Naruto stayed silent, pondering what he had just heard. Then he spoke his mind: "But wouldn't take longer make them even more sure of my death?"

"**That may be so, but in that case, their suspicions will be just that: suspicions. But if you truly die, than they would become certainty. And to die alone, away from your friends is not a good way to die... There is also the matter of Akatsuki"** this made Naruto raise is eyebrows in surprise. He didn't know she knew about them... But then again, he shared a body with her, so he supposed that was expected, **"If you don't appear outright, the rumours of the Uchiha killing you will start to spread, and they will cease to look for you. After all, he did pierce your chest **_**and**_** ripped away your heart... Besides, don't forget you promised me to train and grow up. I promised to help you, but there's only so much I can do, if you're not willing."**

Yep, he was right, alright. No way he would be able to win in an argument against her. And he had to admit her reasoning made sense. His blood was still rushing fast through him from when he heard her talk about Sasuke, but he tried not to think about it. He was no simpleton, especially now, and he new it was likely that the last Uchiha hadn't returned home. With a pang, he realised he might have even attempted to hurt Sakura! He had been a real idiot to think his death would accomplish anything. He shook his head slightly, chasing the line of thought away. He wouldn't judge anyone without knowing all the facts; That's what the villagers had done to him. He wouldn't sink so low. But Kyuubi was right, he needed preparation.

"In the name of the Fourth Hokage, I knew I couldn't outsmart you in a discussion" he said. Kyuubi actually looked surprised at his choice of words, "Alright, alright, I'll accept the training and take my time. But you have to train me too, alright?"

The tailed Kitsune nodded.

"**We can start right now, if you want."**

"Awesome!" he said with a smile and an expression that, if Sakura or any other girl from the Leaf had been there, would ha been left dazzled for the rest of the night, "So what are you teaching me? Some cool Jutsu? Kick-ass Taijutsu?"

"**First I'll line up a schedule for you, then we'll see..."** she answered, **"Ninjutsu is all very well, but there's something you have to have in order to make it useful."** she continued, rising from his belly and starting to pace back and forth in front of him. To his credit, Naruto sat straight and actually looked as if he was paying attention, **"You must learn to think. To control your emotions and learn to act correctly according to the situation you're in. On a dangerous world the trick is not so much as avoiding dangerous situations. Is to plan things through and reduce that danger to a minimum. You need peace of spirit, you need accuracy of thought and for **_**that **_**goal I'm teaching you how to meditate."** she finished.

Naruto blinked, "What?"

Kyuubi sighed as she explained, **"Meditation allows you to reach a state of mind where it is easier to perceive what's happening around you. If you master such ability, you will be able to make accurate assessments of the situation around you while in battle in the blink of an eye, to plan your way to victory, to actually ensure everyone you love will make it back home on a mission."**

It seemed to Kyuubi that, with her last remark, she had hit full on the right spot, for Naruto didn't rise any complaints to that and seemed now eager to get started. There was a seriousness in him that hinted to her that he would not relax until he had mastered every way of the technique.

The Vixen made Naruto pass through a set of exercises in order to achieve the desired state. He had to relax all his muscles, ease his breathing, control it until it was stable, calm and profound, long and firm. He was sitting in a lotus stance, his arms and hands alongside the lines of his body. Eyes closed, listening to his new-found sensei. Her voice was intoxicating.

"**I want you to try and listen. Listen to the world around you..."** came the whisper to his left. He knew she was there as well, doing the same exercise. He breathed and listened. To the song of the waves on the shore. He breathed and listened. To the smallest pebbles, rolling with the water in the sand. He breathed... and suddenly he was there. In a place made of light. Golden shimmers all around him. He could not move, he couldn't turn an inch. But he could _feel_ Kyuubi, sitting next to him, feel her movements, her chest moving with her breathing, the occasional flick of a tail. The waves on the beach, the trees up above on the cliff behind him, moving with the wind. All of that sent waves of information towards him, a disturbance in the shimmering light, much like the flow of water. It was marvellous.

With a gasp he opened is eyes. He was breathing rapidly, as if he had just run a good amount of time at full speed. The sensation he had felt was incredible. And it had brought a memory of... _something_. It shimmered faintly on the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

"**So? What did you feel?" **Kyuubi asked. He looked at her and had to blink. He could have sworn that, while he had been in trance, he had sensed her. But know that he thought about it, he had sensed her in human form. Or humanoid at least. He was sure it had been Kyuubi. But now as he looked at her, she was just the same vixen as always, sitting like a big dog, next to him. He pushed the troublesome feeling aside and started to explain everything to her, in excited whispers. He couldn't understand why he was doing it. But Kyuubi answered in the same soft, calm manner.

"**You're going alright." **She chuckled, **"We'll stop it for now. Your experience was brief, but it took you a long time to get there."**

Naruto looked up and found that the moon was already high on the sky, starting its journey back to Earth. He nodded and got up, preparing to go back to the small village.

* * *

Time passed and soon almost two months had gone by since he had breathed again on the shores of Argentia. His clothes were prepared and finished and he now used them every day. Even if that meant to actually have to do laundry much more often than normal. The clothes the people of Berasylle had made for him were intricate. He had a black, tight, shirt that served as a primary layer between his skin and the other clothes. On the top of that he used a bulkier shirt, also black, made of soft fabric, that was warm in winter and cool in the summer. Or rather, at night and during the day. He had had to become used to the shifting pattern of the weather there. This shirt was extremely loose around his arms and torso, so he eventually settled up in using belts to strap the tissue around his body. Also black. He had questioned why they had made everything black, and was explained that, in the desert, dark clothes were often much more comfortable than brighter ones, no matter how counter-intuitive that might sound. Even with the straps, it was still loose on most of his upper body, with the exception of the arms and, as such, it created bags of cooled air that helped him keep his body temperature at a good level. A pair of black pants and boots completed the set. Apparently, using sandals in the desert wasn't a good idea. There were scorpions, spiders and other venomous animals that could give you quite some trouble if you were to be bitten or stung by one of them.

His training sessions also kept going, almost every night, the time at which most of the people were asleep and, therefore, wouldn't feel curious as to what he would be doing on the beach. Difficult as it was to access, it was still possible for someone to spy upon them.

One night he had been meditating for longer than normal, when he sensed Kyuubi move from the spot she was sitting, stop in front of him and smirk. He could swear that the being in front of him was not a fox. Suddenly, he sensed a rapid movement and raised his arm, blocking the attack she had launched towards him, while immediately opening his eyes.

"**Excellent! You understand now what I meant about this helping you in battle?"** she asked smirking.

"Yeah, I do. Although I would have preferred you had told me so right from the beginning, instead of waiting almost three goddamn months to show it to me..." he answered. But he was smiling too as he did so.

"**You, of all people, should know that its easy for you to understand – heck, no! To believe, something about training if you experience it first hand than if someone tells you about it."** Naruto could only laugh sheepishly while embarrassingly scratching his head, at her comment.

"**Anyway, I think we're ready to move to the next stage. From now on, I want you to try to maintain that state of mind while with your eyes open and while performing your day to day tasks. It will be much more difficult, but I have faith in you. But not for today, though." **she continued, **"You successfully passed the test and you've done enough for now. How about trying some Jutsu to relax?"**

Naruto nodded, satisfied. Although he understood the importance of meditation and had grown quite adept at it, he missed using his ninja techniques. It had been three months since he had come back to life. He didn't think he had been so much time without using Jutsu before. At least since he had become a ninja.

"**I reckon you have been thought how to use the Fourth Hokage's Jutsu, the Rasengan, right?" **Upon his confirmation, she continued, **"I want you to try and do it again. This time without clones."**

Naruto scowled a little. He had never been able to do it before without resorting to his clones or Kyuubi's influence.

"**You can try and brake some of the rocks on the cliffs, but be mindful not to put too much power in the Jutsu, or we might make such a ruckus that will alert the villagers to what we're doing... or to me." **she said, carefully.

"Hai." Kyuubi was right. He didn't know if people there had heard about tailed demons, but it was a likely supposition that, powerful as they were, they could cross oceans without second thoughts, so they probably knew about them too. Them finding out he had a tailed being inside him could destroy all the trust he had earned there. And he didn't want to lose that.

He made a few attempts at the Rasengan but totally failed. With time, he noticed he was even getting a lot of difficulty in just moulding the chakra for use. Kyuubi seemed to notice something was amiss, because she asked if something was wrong.

"I don't know!" he answering struggling to mould the chakra, grinding his teeth, "I'm having an absurd amount of difficulty in just moulding the chakra, let alone shape it for the Rasengan. I don't understand!"

Kyuubi seemed somewhat taken back by this.

"**How's that possible, if you can summon me?"**

"When I summon you, I don't even have to mould chakra; Don't ask me why!" he answered.

"**I wonder..." **she said, walking around him, inspecting him, **"Could this be related to your emerging bloodline? You can summon me, but are unable to use chakra outside yourself... Is there something else you haven't been telling me?" **she asked sharply.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably while swallowing, "Well, there is this weird dust I see all the time..."

"**Dust? Explain!" **the Vixen demanded.

"It's everywhere I look, and any movement anything does causes it to shimmer and wave!" he thrashed his arms around wildly, as if to prove his point, "Even now as I try to mould chakra, it swirls around me! It's very annoying and distracting, damn it!"

"**Baka! That's a great thing, if it is what I think it is." **she stood silent a moment, measuring him, **"Listen to this and listen carefully! What I'm about to tell you is unknown to everyone but me and the Powers of the World... This is not something to go telling others!" **she emphasized, **"Every living creature is made up of two forces: the physical and the mental or psychological. The physical is, of course, chakra. You ninja gather it and use it to do your Ninjutsu. And like a muscle, the more you use it, the more you strain yourself, the more it develops."** she paused for a moment, looking at him, before starting to pace back and forth, **"The other one is created every time a being dedicates time to intellectual activities. The gathering of knowledge, the solving of riddles, the training of the mind. Now every, and I mean every, living being, animal or plant, as a mind of their own. Granted their levels of development vary, but they all have one. The point is," **she stressed, **"that this second force is always being created. But instead of being gathered inside one's body, it is freed into the environment. I believe this second power is the one you are able to see. It would also explain the rather... peculiar shape of your eyes."**

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, slightly confused.

"**Your eyes bare an uncanny resemblance to the Taijitu, the Yin-Yang, which symbolizes balance. It as been a long time since anyone was ever able to sense, let alone use, the mental power of beings. The last one to do it disappeared even before I was born. I believe, the old blood has been purified with your visit to the Lifestream: you can only use what's inside you for something within you, and with some training, I believe you will be able to use the other force. The fact that you've told me that that "dust" swirled around you when you tried to use chakra, seems to support my assumptions."**

"Great! So now I'm unable to use Jutsu and have to start from the scratch on something there isn't even a scroll on?" he said sarcastically.

"**Haven't you been paying attention to me, at all?" **Kyuubi asked sharply, **"The "dust" is a product of the mind and as such is controlled by will. You only have to train to use your will. Granted it is difficult, but fortunately we already started meditation. Master it and the rest will go on a breeze. As for chakra and Jutsu, are you a complete dummy? You cannot use **_**your**_** chakra outside yourself but I can use mine. And with time and training you will be able to use mine too!"**

Naruto thought it was pretty unfair that she snapped off like that but said nothing about it, since she seemed to be irritated about his rather childish remarks and complains, so he settled for just asking why it would be necessary to train to use her chakra, since he had done it before. The Vixen frowned slightly before answering.

"**When you used my chakra in the past, I was subordinated to you by the Seal. On a contract though, we are as equals, and have to learn to synchronize with each other before you can do that."**

Naruto thought about it for a few moments.

"And how do we do that?" he asked.

"**We are linked through our minds so we have to synchronize them with each other. It is not an easy task but the results will bring advantages to us both."** at an inquisitive glance from the blonde she elaborated, **"You will be able to use my almost unending chakra resources and I will be able to... feel."**

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious at the strangeness of the statement.

Kyuubi hesitated a little, before turning her back to him and saying in a low, unsure, voice: **"I can't feel the world as I am now. Not like I used to before I became unbalanced. My body is chakra alone, so even as you summon me I don't have the same perception of reality as you humans have. I... wish to feel again... It was something we tailed beasts could only achieve upon contract, and I miss it..."**

"But we are under a contract now, why can't you feel yet?" he asked, confused.

"**The contract is still somewhat incomplete. In the past it would be reinforced by a priest but, until we get to Fire Country, I don't think we will find someone who bares the knowledge of Legend to do such a thing..."**

"And in Fire Country there is such a person? They're all terrified of you!"

"**The Fire Temple is bound to maintain scrolls on ancient knowledge that can be used by one of the priests there to help us. We only have to hope we can convince them to do it. It's my hope..." **the last sentenced was whispered so lowly, Naruto couldn't understand it, **"Let us not drown ourselves in hopes and sorrows! Let's try and synchronize. You must concentrate and try to feel my consciousness."**

"What about you?" Naruto asked.

"**I'll do the same."**

Naruto closed his eyes and prepared for meditation. Once he felt that he was ready, he started to search his mind for a sign of Kyuubi's conscience. After a lot of work, in which he searched through feelings, hopes, fears and memories, he found a small object on the far corner of his mind. Suddenly, Naruto was there, just like when he was inside the sewers, just him, the darkness, and the object, which was a monolith (A/N: think about 2001: A Space Odyssey, people!). He waited for a few moments, until it became apparent that nothing was going to happen, and then reached out with his arm. As soon as he touched its surface, bright lines appeared in the monolith. He retreated a little, wary, and watched, intrigued, as the lines proceeded to draw the muzzle of a fox surrounded by twelve different tails. The lines the grew bolder and bolder, until all of the monolith was engulfed in light, making it seem like it was a door, from a dark room to the shiny outside. He took a deep breath and stepped in.

He was seeing the beach once again, just as he had been before they had started the process. This time however, he felt like the mix between two bodies. He had two different perceptions at the same time, he was aware of two minds working together, trying to function as one. One half of him was really eager to start and, remembering what he had heard earlier, he deduced it was Kyuubi's mind.

He actually knew what to do, so proceeded to try and form a Rasengan without any further delay. It was very difficult maintaining the balance between the two parts, however and, as they approached the critical stage of the Rasengan, Naruto suddenly lost control and the Jutsu flared up, exploding in a wave of energy that shook the houses of the village to the core, while making one hell of a noise.

In an instant, they were separated again and soon Kyuubi materialized, worry and anger in her eyes, saying to him, **"What have you done? There's no way they didn't feel this! Pray that they don't associate it with you, or we're busted!"**

"I-I don't know what happened! It was all going alright, but suddenly a part of me just went ahead before time and it got out of control! Serious!" Naruto tried to explain.

Kyuubi looked at him for a moment before bowing her head in shame.

"**That must have been my fault. I was too eager and probably couldn't wait to actually feel something..."** she was silenced by the alarmed gesture of Naruto, who looked towards the cliff, his eyes swirling oddly. Up above, a lone figure, the figure of the village's seer, stood looking down straight at them. And Naruto could feel more than see, the surprise in the old woman's face. She then turned back and, with a speed he wouldn't ha thought possible for the old lady to move, disappeared towards the village.

* * *

**A/N.: An update finally. Sorry for taking so long, but exams don't forgive anyone and I have to do them.** **Anyway, hoped you like it. And please review OK? I like reviews. ****Also, sorry for the possible mistakes.**


	5. The New Kyuubi

Chapter V

"The new Kyuubi"

Naruto ran. He ran as fast as he could, which was considerably fast, considering he was a ninja and was using Kyuubi's chakra to fuel his muscles further. The Vixen ran alongside with him, her ethereal form shimmering slightly at the stars. He could practically feel her distress.

It wasn't surprising, really. They had been trying to further reinforce their connection, by strengthening that which Kyuubi had called their resonance with each other. For a moment it actually seemed to have worked; they had really shared their thoughts, and senses, as if there had been two different beings inside the same body. It had been a surreal experience of a sorts. Something had gone wrong, though, and while trying to form a Rasengan in their combined state, the chakra somehow exploded wildly, apparently drawing the attention of the old woman he had seen before at the feast. He was now chasing her as fast as he could, after having climbed the whole cliff with one jump. He would have been amazed if it had happened on another occasion. But he was too distressed to notice it at the moment.

What was even more unsettling was the fact that, no matter how much he ran, no matter how much quicker he new he was in regards to the old lady, he hadn't found her yet. At the speed he had moved, he was supposed to have caught her even before she had had the time to reach the forest that connected the beach he had been to the half-destroyed city his saviours resided in.

If the old lady told the others, he would most likely be chased out of the city. If nothing worse. He could put up a great fight, and he doubted these people knew how to counteract Jutsu. He hadn't seen no fighters nor anything that indicated the presence of a military force, but if he could manage, he would prefer to avoid a fight. Besides, just because he couldn't see them, it didn't mean they weren't there. His head was about to explode with so many thoughts and Naruto felt the start of what would most assuredly be one hell of an headache.

He was so distracted by his own thoughts he almost missed a faint scent. He couldn't identify it, but that wasn't a problem; Kyuubi had already picked it up, through their link: **"I smell her! I smell her!"** she said into his mind, and Naruto sighed in relief. They were catching up.

The scent guided them to what seemed to be a well concealed trap-door in the ground. Naruto cautiously opened it, brushing the dust aside, and saw a large staircase, leading into the darkness of the ground. After a moment of consideration, he stepped inside.

To Naruto, it seemed that he had been walking for hours in the darkness before he finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. He had been using Kyuubi's eyes to guide him so the faint light shone like a star to him. He deactivated her chakra and they both proceeded across the tunnel. Kyuubi's image fainted and disappeared, returning to his mindscape, shortly before they reached the doorway that ended the tunnel.

The brightness left him blind for a few moments, the white overpowering even the faint glimmering golden dust that always seemed to surround him now, and through his trained senses, he felt something move. He felt the cold tip of a metal being pressed against his neck. Several, actually; and when he finally managed to see, several young women, with black skin, like all the other inhabitants of the town, dressed in white vests, surrounded him. They carried staffs of some sort, with a blade at one of the ends. Coincidentally, the very end that was turned to his skin.

_'Crap!'_ he thought, and felt Kyuubi spring into action. He gave her even more chakra and when she materialised the Vixen was the size of a large man. Several of the girls stepped back when she released a low growl, her twelve tails swinging back and forth. She swung them across the room they were in and managed to free Naruto from the blades this way. He smirked and was about to reach his weapons pouch when another woman, this one slightly older, entered the room from the exit opposite the one they had entered. She wore a more intricate vest and it was apparent her rank was superior to those present before. She rose her right hand, showing a small statue Naruto didn't manage to figure out and said some words in a foreign language. Much more exotic than even the ones they talked on the city.

A blinding pain struck Naruto in the abdomen, where he knew the seal was. At the same time, Kyuubi bent in suffering and, letting out a long suffered growl, disappeared. Blackness claimed his body and the last thing Naruto saw was the women gathering around him, like a pack of wolves on a defenceless prey...

* * *

When he woke up, Naruto felt a certain difficulty to move, as if his body was reluctant in getting up, so he took his time observing what he could.

He appeared to be in some sort of large room, with very high ceiling, as if it had been craved out directly from the stone it was made of. Torches hung from the walls as far as he could manage to turn his aching head. He tried to contact Kyuubi and failed. Panic rising in his chest, he sat up.

"Ah! I see you are awake." he heard a voice say. He turned around as fast as he could an saw the old lady, dressed in an amazing attire, looking at him intently. She looked very alive and active, in contrast with the appearance she bared in the outside world. Yes, because it was apparent to him that he was in some sort of underground dungeon. Shadows flickered in the places the torches couldn't light up.

"Bastards!..." he growled, getting to his knees, "Who are you? What have you done to me?"

"I apologize the way we treated you." the elder answered. She talked slowly as if he had difficulty talking to him, "but we could not risk you trashing around, injuring our sisters... and maybe yourself. The power of the Goddess is indeed great..." she said closing her eyes.

Somehow, Naruto had the feeling she was talking about the Vixen.

"How do you know about Kyuubi?" he asked, getting up slowly. A few more moments and he would be up, then he would have to start looking for a way out, in case things started to heat up.

"Hmm?" the elder opened one eye to look at him, "It is obvious, for those who are trained to see such things. Our order keeps the secrets of Avatars ever since its creation, millennia ago." she laughed roughly at his bewildered face, "Boy! It is obvious you were subject of a sealing. One against the will of the Goddess, but something has happened. I heard your story at the feast. So you managed to return the tails to the Goddess, heh?" she laughed again, "Very, very good. That seemed to have gained you her good favours, huh? It has truly been a long time since the Goddess walked the earth as what she is... and not as some incomplete demon." Naruto straightened is posture, completely forgetting the escape route idea. The old woman continued her speech, "She seemed to have made an ancient contract with you, yes? Yes, that was what she told us too. Almost bit me head off, when I tried to _suggest_ freeing her from you." she laughed again. Her speech was a bit confusing, with some words that sounded kind of ancient to Naruto, and he had trouble following her. He voiced his thoughts with his usual bluntness.

"Why don't you speak normally, like Juannes?"

This caused the old lady to laugh even more. Naruto was starting to like her. She didn't seem to get irritated easily and had what seemed a good sense of humour. "Straight to the point, heh kid? And no soft words either..." Naruto had the grace of looking embarrassed. Just for a moment. "The truth is, it has been some time since I last spoke the Eastron. My vocabulary is a little dusty."

"Eastron? What the hell is that?" he asked, confused.

"Ho, Ho, Hoo, you don't know it, boy? Has the ancient history been forgotten on your half of the world?" she took a sip from a small glass sitting on a small table beside her. He had not noticed it there earlier. "Eastron is the name given to the main language spoken on your half of the world. Here there's a language called the Westron which serves the same purpose. It's the one we speak on the village. There was another language which was the common language for all the world, called Esperanto. But I supposed, correctly, that you wouldn't know of it."

"How long ago was this you're talking about?"

"Several thousands of years ago. Hold yer horses lad! I'm not that old!" she laughed at his face, "All the members of this order have to learn these languages... among several other thing that don't concern you. Anyway," she continued, "The contract is corrupted by the seal. They're interfering with each other. That's why you cannot synchronize very well."

"So?" he asked. But he was already having a hunch as to where this was going.

"So we're removing the seal and reinforcing the contract."

"And I suppose I don't have much of a choice..."

"Not really." she smiled sardonically at him, "But it would be better if you cooperated..."

"What did you do to me? With that doll..."

She smiled to him: "Wouldn't you like to know."

There was a moment of silence before he answered.

"Fine."

* * *

If he had known it was going to be like this, then he most assuredly would have thought twice before agreeing with the old lady. Whatever measure he had assumed they would do to him it was not this. There were girls. Girls scribbling down strange kanji in his body. His _whole_ body. He couldn't see himself, and he was glad he couldn't, but if the heat on his cheeks and the snickers the old hag was making whenever she looked at him were any indication of it, then he was surely making a faze that would put the one Ebiso-sensei had made when he threatened him of telling the others how he had been fooled by his Sexy no Jutsu to shame. Overall, he was just glad his body wasn't reacting to the contact. Maybe the embarrassment was too much for it to register.

He had been directed to a larger, circular room, and was now standing in the centre of several concentric rings carved on the very floor. The rings had some writings inside them but he couldn't make out the language and assumed it was that Westron language the old lady had talked about.

The last of the youths got up and left the circles, and Naruto sighed in relief. The old lady got up from the chair she had been sitting and said to him: "Right! Seems we're ready. Please be mindful to stand as relaxed as you possibly can... Try to forget my daughters will ya?" she added laughing. Naruto turned red and refrained himself from making a rude gesture to her. The old lady clapped her hands and, as if on cue, several women entered the room. These were not girls but full grown women and wore what looked like a very light, revealing ceremonial dresses. Naruto turned away from the sight, embarrassed again, and looked at the ground. If he couldn't look even at them, he wondered how he had had the idea to peek at the hot springs, back when they were about to start the journey to meet Akatsuki's spy on Orochimaru. No time for that! He thought, pushing away such trail of thought.

When Naruto finally gathered up the courage to look up again he saw the women displaced around him, on the out most ring of them all. He also noticed that they were crouching inside small circles that were placed in the ring at steady intervals. Others were standing up on several markings on the ground, each one of them holding a statue like the one he had seen before. He gulped. This was going to hurt, he just knew it.

As one, all the women starting humming and chanting in a language he couldn't understand. The chants held great musicality and he soon felt like he was travelling on a stream of words, softly nudged by a wind of words. Slowly but steadily, he started to listen to them and found he could make out their meaning. The language itself was still unknown to him but, somehow, he could apprehend the meaning behind the mere words.

_Come, now. And see that which is hidden._

_Come now. And grasp the meaning of life itself._

_That which you are about to see,_

_is the most pure being of all._

_No evil taints her heart. She is pure._

_She knows no hate, but has not been loved._

_She is pure, she is innocent._

_Guide her, for she is pure._

_Guide her, for she is your hope._

_She is salvation, she is pure._

_No evil taints her heart, yet she is not immune._

_Cleanse your heart from darkness._

_Don't taint that which is pure._

_She is pure, she is innocent._

_Born again, for the sake of love._

_Guide her._

_Guide her._

_Love her..._

Naruto felt himself being engulfed in light.

_There was a strange... bubble of a sorts in front of him. It was a large bubble. Light was shining from it and he couldn't make out its insides. Then the light turned liquid and then solidified on a form. And suddenly he could see. The bubble looked now like one of those soap bubbles he used to make as a child... when old man Ichiraku offered him a toy for that purpose on his birthday. His first birthday present... Why was it its first? He could not remember. All seemed so far away._

_The figure inside the bubble was clearly defined now. It was a girl. A beautiful one at that. It couldn't be much older than he was. Her face was peaceful and innocent. Her body slender and agile. Beautiful. He noticed that she had fox ears sprouting out of her hair, and behind her, several tails moved softly. Twelve tails. Cute, he thought._

_He knew this person. Where did he knew her from? He couldn't remember. It was painful to try to remember. Pain... he had received suffering because of this person. Demon. Yes, demon. She was a Demon._

_Her eyes opened slowly and, behind those enthralling eyelashes he saw. He saw the red, sliced eyes of a demon._

_He raised his hand, intending to hit the thing. Killing this demon would be fitting. It deserved it. It had made him suffer. Destruction. It had brought destruction. Killing it would be fitting. The girl – no, the demon tried to retreat, to escape from the menace. Its eyes were open in fear. Yet, he hesitated. It was pleading for help. Those eyes were screaming silently for help, in fear. He looked at his raised hand and saw the claw of a monster, about to attack a pure being. Like killing a child, he thought._

_This was no demon._

_She was pure, his heart told him so. And she was so pretty... he reached the bubble with his claw-like hand and the figure recoiled in fear, anticipating the attack. But it never came. Instead, he used his monstrous hand to cut the bubble open. The light that escaped from it shattered the abomination to pieces and left only a normal, human hand. The girl trembled slightly, in fear, when he touched her. Following an impulse, he embraced her and hugged her. She stood in shock for a moment, before hugging him back and let out a sigh of pure relief._

_Light engulfed them and Naruto screamed in pain._

_He was alone again and his head seemed like it was splitting in pain. He was seeing images, images all around him. He was waking up for the first time, seeing the sun behind the trees. He was jumping across a river, his tails flashing behind him. He understood. Those were Kyuubi's memories. Light, Light everywhere. He was talking to a man, a man with white pupil-less eyes. Agreeing in bonding with him. He was talking to a dark haired youth. He screamed in pain as his tails were stolen from him. Darkness, Despair, Sadness... Hope. Happiness. He was talking to a golden-haired young man on a beach. He was called Naruto. Light, Light everywhere._

_The boy turned fox was engulfed by light, the memories of his experience already fading. Already forgotten..._

* * *

"Hugh!" he groaned as he tried to get up, "What the hell happened?"

He was nursing one hell of an headache of doom.

"The process was a success! The reinforcement of the link has been completed." He turned to his left and saw the old lady again. He sat up, realising for the first time that he had been laying on a bed. He was in a small room. "We moved you here in order for you to have some rest. The process you've been through is not a soft one, specially for the human."

"So, my link with Kyuubi is stabilized, now?" he asked.

"Oh yes! See for yourself." she said pointing ant his navel.

He lifted his shirt and saw that he no longer had any swirling pattern on his abdomen, but, instead, a Fox head could be seen, its twelve tails extending towards his upper body and to his back.

"Cool! It looks like a tattoo!"

"Glad you like it. Now look over there." The old lady commanded, pointing to his right.

Naruto did as instructed. Against the wall was a girl. Looking like she would rather not be seen there. She was wearing a white dress like the ones he had seen before, although not as revealing, much to his relief. Only her navel was exposed, but her skirt was cut so that her legs were free to move with maximum angle, and sometimes, when she battled, Naruto would latter find out that it would show almost all of her lower body. It looked almost like one of the ancient female combat dresses he used to see on the books. On her head sat two fox-like ears and behind her sprouted several white tails. For a moment he was unable to speak.

"I made this for you." He heard her say, and was surprised to find that the fearsome power that was always present on her voice had disappeared and that she talked in a soft tone. He looked at her hands as she approached and saw she was carrying a necklace with a small doll made of dark wood. It had all the aspect of having been made by someone who was not used to handwork, bearing the mark of the amateur. It represented a woman with fox ears and tails, much like the girl herself. The figure held itself in a stylish pose.

"It is custom for both parts to exchange gifts in the end of the ritual, in reinforcement of the bond they made to each other" she said somewhat nervously while holding her hands in front of him, offering him the necklace, "I hope you like it! I did my best but I'm not very good with craftsmanship..."

Naruto suddenly realised his mouth had been hanging open all the time so he closed it.

"Kyuubi?" he asked uncertainly, "is that you?"

The girl shifted the weight from one leg to the other, nervously.

"Hm... yes... I-I know I don't look like much, I mean I know you were expecting something more imposing and-"

"You're beautiful!" Naruto said in amazement, effectively cutting her ranting and managing to catch her off-guard, something that had never simultaneously happened before.

"You... You think so?" she asked uncertain.

"Of course I am, are you crazy?"

"I... Thank you!" she smiled broadly, so broadly her eyes actually closed. Naruto couldn't help but watch with some amusement as her ears perked up and her tails swung in accord to her high spirits.

He received the necklace from her hands and immediately put it around his neck. "It's very pretty." He said sincerely, and Kyuubi smiled again, happy.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't like my appearance. I mean I don't remember what happened during the ritual and..." Naruto lost the trail of her speech around then. It seemed that, now that she had been accepted, all the stress that the kitsune had been feeling was being ejected from her in a torrent of blabbering. She was practically bouncing in excitement, now. "... and I was fearing you wouldn't like the present, because I don't really know how to do those things. I mean I could have made it with a Jutsu but I wanted it to be special. Personal." She finished, breathing hard.

"Why wouldn't I like it? It's really good. If it had been me I would most assuredly destroy half the forest, before actually doing something right." Fortunately he was looking at the doll and didn't notice the blush appearing on Kyuubi's embarrassed face. "You must have been pretty fast to finish this before I was awake!" he said, tugging the wooden figure inside his shirt much to Kyuubi's satisfaction.

"Erm... not really. You were asleep for almost three days."

There was a moment of silence.

"WHAT!" he screamed, "Ah, man... Juannes is going to want to know what happened to us, we're toast."

"The Chefe already knows the truth about what happened. So does the rest of the village." Said the old lady, "We do not bear any prejudice towards the Goddess. How could, we? Our village's very foundation is her."

"Wow! Really?" It was clear to everyone in the room that Naruto did not understand what she was talking about, except for the part of him not being screwed. The elder sighed.

"But that's enough of this matter. I have something to discuss to you first, regarding your relation to the goddess. Most of it she already knows but, if she wishes, and you agree with it, she may remain here as I explain things to you."

Naruto nodded to show his agreement and patted the side of the bed, inviting the vixen to sit down. She did it with a grace that left him amazed. The old lady seemed to be having the time of her life, observing the two of them.

"The ritual the two of you just undertook is one of extreme complexity. It's creation is lost in the shifting sands of Time and we can no longer create something like that any more. We have no doubt the Goddess herself had something to do in its creation." She paused a moment to take another sip at the ever present cup, "No one knows what happens during it, yet it is obvious something happens. During it, your bond is reformed and reinforced. If it goes well that is. If it goes wrong, it kills the human taking the ritual. Perhaps it's some sort of test, I don't know. The ritual is a process of rebirth for the Avatar (that is the word we use to describe the beings you call Bijuu). The kitsune you see here now, is the same as before. She knows who she is and her techniques. However, the process adapts her to her human counter-part and she is now mentally the same as a human teenager. It is probable that she will not remember most of the things that have passed before the sealing, unless she has recollected them to you in a conversation after it."

"So basically, she might just remember the last fourteen, maybe fifteen years of her life." Naruto summarized.

"It's the price to pay for the completion of the ritual. No one knows why." the elder confirmed.

Naruto nodded: "Fine by me. I don't have any problems with that." Something stirred in his memory but it fled away before he could grasp it. He turned towards Kyuubi and looked at her, finding her staring at some point on the wall. It was obvious she had lost the concentration on the topic. He nudged her lightly with an arm and was rewarded with a jump and a squeal from her part.

"I AGREE TOO!" she exclaimed wildly. Naruto laughed.

"Well it seems everything is all right so I guess I'll just leave you alone. You are free to walk around the temple if you want." the old lady said to him "I'm sure you too will find something to do."

Kyuubi jumped from the bed.

"Yes! Yes, come, let me show you the place!" She said enthusiastically, pulling his hand.

Naruto got up and followed her out of the room. When he was passing the doorway, she felt the grip of the old lady in his arm and heard the whisper: "She is now yours for good or for evil. Guide her well..."


	6. Departure

The Nightshade

Chapter VI

_Guide her well..._

The old woman's voice reverberated in his mind as he followed Kyuubi across the corridors and the rooms of the temple. Only now he was starting to realise the sheer size of the thing.

Abruptly, he realised she was talking to him.

"They do all sort of stuff here. Meditation, Combat Training, it's hard to believe they're not a ninja village. I mean, this seems like a rather peaceful place, and from what they've shown me in the maps its really, really isolated from other inhabited regions, but still they keep preparing their generations as if they needed to prepare themselves against the attacks of invaders or something..." They had arrived at a large room, filled with bookcases and rock tables, "This is the library. I suppose it has some interesting stuff, but I never really took the time to read any of the books here. Most of the apprentices on this Order come here to study history and other theoretical subjects. If I remember correctly, every girl who tries to become Accepted must take a test, which includes a theoretical exam..."

"Oh! Sort of like the academy exam." Naruto nodded, agreeing.

"I suppose so." She agreed hesitantly, motioning for him to follow her, "I retain few recollections of the earlier years of our... relationship. To be honest... I must say that until your fight in Wave Country I had never taken interest in your life." She said, as they moved across the corridors, her tails flicking with the movement of her legs, "I'm not trying to say you were not interesting, or anything... I... I just wasn't in the mood." She finished lamely.

Naruto suddenly realised she was trying to make an apology.

"It's OK." he said, "We'll have plenty of time to talk about ourselves while we're here, I think... And still want to know how you came to be." he added smirking ruefully.

Kyuubi laughed. "I'll never tell you that!"

"I'll find out sooner or later!" he promised in what he hoped was a menacing smirk. She seemed to shrug it off without a second thought. They were arriving at the end of one tunnel and Naruto was perceiving a glow that had to mean he was looking at daylight.

"Look at this! Isn't it beautiful?" the vixen girl asked.

"Wow!"

He was looking at what was most assuredly an underground waterfall. Far away, up above, a large aperture on the rock walls let the sunlight get in. Uncountable crystal formations reflected it in all directions and colours, forming a sight to see. The waterfall created a large lake. Looking closely, he saw several cages holding several cultures of fish inside.

"They're practically self-sustainable, here." Kyuubi explained, "They have everything they need to survive without outside help. Of course, living just on fish when it is not necessary is strange so the villagers give part of their loot on the hunting to them. They share the fish." While she talked, several women from the order entered the place and started to check on the fishes.

Kyuubi exited the room and he followed her.

The Vixen was getting fairly excited now, as they entered a large room, with several windows on the walls. These were located high from the ground. The ceiling too was inconceivably high. The overall structure of the place didn't let any doubt in Naruto's mind: this was a training room. Of course, the presence of several members of the order training in front of them might have helped too.

"This is the training room. They train here on every single battle techniques I know! I do not know why, but it doesn't really matter I suppose! Come on we've got to try it!" It seemed that details weren't Kyuubi's best, specially when she was this restless. It was clear she had been itching to bring him there.

He followed her across the huge room. He noticed how the women stepped out of Kyuubi's way. Not in a fearful way but in respect. Several made small bows to them and Naruto caught the words, spoken hesitantly in Eastron, _"Red Eyes"_, directed to him. This confused him. He would have understood if they had said that to Kyuubi. After all that was the colour of her slit eyes. But no, to her they referred as _Avatar_. He remembered hearing the old lady use the same name to address Kyuubi and decided to take a look at the library, once he had the time.

Kyuubi stopped in the middle of the largest battle circle, right in the centre of the room. The other attendants cleared the ring. Naruto frowned interestingly at this. The vixen girl had something up her sleeve, for sure. She turned to him with an eager smile and said: "Naruto! Let's battle!"

"Hai!" he agreed, enthusiastically. It had been a long time since he last used his muscles in a fight.

He could see the shimmering, ever present golden dust move softly, as the watchers positioned themselves around the training field. He was starting to feel the adrenaline of combat again.

Kyuubi adopted a pose he had never seen before, but that was slightly familiar all the same: Her left leg was extended forward and slightly bent at the knee. Her foot stretched and her toes touched the ground, softly, hardly leaving any mark. Her other leg stood behind, also bent, supporting the body and providing an effective way of springing to action. Her body curved slightly to the left, in accordance to the stretched leg, and her arms were lifted. One in front of her and the other stretched outwards. Her hands were shaped in order to imitate the claws of a wild animal. Which was effective because her nails were long, without being repulsive (A/N.:just like a normal woman's nails, nothing too spectacular.) Her ears were lifted and attentive to every small noise, and he tails stood behind her. Three supporting her body, aiding her leg, the others lifted around her, like an enormous back shield. She was smirking slightly and one of her curved canines was peeking out of her lips, giving her a mischievous look.

Naruto had to admit it was a pretty impressive sight. Because he had nothing better, he settled himself into adopting the standard Taijutsu stance.

Time seemed to pass slowly and not a noise could be heard. Naruto was getting slightly impatient, but he wasn't about to go rushing against an opponent he was sure was stronger than him. Every time. Finally, with a flick of her tails, Kyuubi jumped to an attack. Her hands were still in the same pose and she attacked him with blinding speed. He managed to dodge a few of her blows but, when they parted from each other, he was still sporting a lot of scratches from her attacks.

The scene repeated itself countless time over and over, with Naruto unable to do much more than simply trying to avoid contact. He was downcast. How had he ever thought of saving Sasuke, if he didn't even manage to make a counter-attack? He was laughable. And there was still another problem. The accursed gold dust was messing up with him, and it made it difficult for him to concentrate on movements he could hardly see, when it was dancing around him in accordance to her movements.

The weight of his own thoughts hit him like a brick. Or rather like a brick wall: If that thing moved in accordance to sentient movement, all he had to do was trying to guess the next stage of her attacks based on how the dust behaved.

His spirits lifted immediately at the prospect of a winning chance. Of course doing it was harder than thinking it and it took him a lot of time to starting to figure things out. It probably didn't help either that several of the girls watching them were now moving and screaming for Kyuubi to finish him. They probably didn't know who he was, he thought. The vixen girl however, knew and wasn't very satisfied with the comments she was hearing. The change of mood however was very subtle, and if he could read it, it was probably due to their affinity.

It wasn't a pleasant experience. In order to be able to read the response of the dust to her movements, Naruto had to take a lot of blows to analyse, or try to anyway, the movements to their last moments. He was wearing the clothes Juannes had given to him, which were not made for combat and, as such, were getting rather trashed away. On second thought, they were getting really trashed away.

When his shirt, the last layer protecting his torso's skin, was blown away to bits by a particularly vicious attack, Naruto decided he had had enough time to analyse the attacks. He readied himself for the next blow, squinting his eyes in deep concentration. Kyuubi was coming towards him like a canon-ball, a predatory glint on her eyes. He saw her raise her hand in preparation for the attack. He watched as the dusty particles moved towards him, moments before the hand itself followed the same path. And he dodged.

Naruto dodged, bending himself by the knees, letting her arm pass him by, close to his exposed chest, past his head. He dodged, ending up looking like he was laying in some invisible bed. Kyuubi's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she watched the tiny muscles in his body, straining under the stress. They stood like that a moment and then, extending his arms in order to create more momentum, Naruto spun around and landed a powerful kick on the side of her belly. Kyuubi was projected away, being forced to twist herself in the air in order to manage to land on her feet. Naruto noticed, as he got back in position, that she used her tails to manoeuvre in the air. All had passed like it had been in slow motion.

"You dodged!" she said, delighted, "Can you do it again?"

He straightened his back, adopting a similar pose to Maito Gai's preferred stance, and moved his hand in a confident invitation for an attack. And so she did.

Several hours were passed like this and by the end of the session Naruto was fairly sure he had gotten the hang of the prediction technique. It seemed his bloodline was useful for something, after all. He was intending on showing the vixen girl this, by stopping her attacks. And he blocked and immobilized her hands successfully. He allowed himself a victorious smirk before being knocked to the ground by one of her tails.

"Hey! No fair!" he argued, indignantly.

"Ah! Ah! Never let your guard down, Look beneath the underneath, right?" she laughed.

"Gee, and here I thought I could finally beat you in a round."

"You'll get there!" She said reassuringly, wearing a smile all the time, "You did really well for a first time. Not everyone would have been able to withstand the match like you did!"

One of the girls in the assistance, which had meanwhile approached them, harrumphed disdainfully. Kyuubi immediately turn her head towards the sound, startling several people.

"You disagree?" she asked flatly.

The young women who spoke, gave her a confident smirk before saying: "He did nothing special. All he did was getting trashed by you all around. Any of us here could do better. I know I could."

"You want to bet on that?" the goddess said dangerously.

"All you want." the other said, respectfully but also adding a veiled insult. Several other women were now looking alarmed and Naruto caught one running towards a door that, he knew, would lead her to the place where the old lady had remained.

"Your pride will be enough." Kyuubi answered, "But you'll not fight me, you'd just say I had gone harder on you than him, if you were to lose. You will battle him himself."

The other smiled and walked away for positioning. Several murmurs were being heard now, and the crowd started to spread around the circle once again. A lot more people were coming in to watch, some running as fast as they could.

"Kyuubi!" he whispered urgently, "You know I'm all thrashed, right? I won't stand a chance."

"I have faith in you." she answered evenly, "You will not let me down, I'm sure of it!" she squeezed his arm in support and Naruto felt his wounds closing and a refreshing feeling washed over him. He looked down and saw the pendant, miraculously safe, glowing faintly in a red light and knew: she was healing him. It was a pleasant feeling, nothing like the one he felt when she used to heal him in the past. But then again, the situation was different.

He took the pendant off and put it in her startled hands. There was a fearful questioning look in her eyes.

"Keep it safe for me!" he asked her, and she nodded. He turned around a strode confidently for the arena, not a hint of doubt on his face. He would win this.

He also took a position inside the ring, this time not assuming a stance at all. He just stood there as if he were too tired, undisciplined or otherwise unable to assume a proper combat behaviour. In reality, Naruto was straining his eyes to the limit, and his muscles were tense, ready to move at the slightest need. He tried to take as much details on the movement of the dust as he could.

"Don't worry, I won't take much time beating your sorry ass." the girl said.

But Naruto hadn't been in Team Seven for nothing. All the time he spent hearing Sasuke taunt him had given him the necessary self-control to withstand at least that type of psychological attacks. And this girl was not even close to Sasuke's toes when it came to insults.

"Are you going to start this or was all that stuff about you being better than a slug at fighting just talk?" he asked back. Truthfully, he didn't think the girl would fight better than slugs. He had seen some doing pretty impressive things under the directions of Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.

The girl seemed to have just as short temper as she had big ego. The small comeback he had launch was apparently enough to set her seething, and she didn't hesitate in launching an attack.

It was much easier to interpret, Naruto thought. On one hand, she didn't move nearly as fast as Kyuubi and on the other hand, the Dust seemed to react much better to her movements than it had to the vixen girl's. Maybe it had something to do with their origins, Naruto thought detachedly.

He dodged all the attacks, which only contributed to the girls increasing frustration. Finally, she did an attack all too similar to Kyuubi's last one. Naruto reacted the same way but this time, instead of staying there, he used placed his hands on the ground and used the momentum to lift his body, using his legs to kick the other in the face. The woman was sent flying several feet in the air before landing messily a few meters away. She got up whipping her face angrily.

With a cry of rage, she attacked once more. Naruto, however received an alarming movement from the Dust and jumped as high as he could, away from the girl. Quite on time since she was now using one of the bladed staffs he had seen the women use against him. Several gasps were heard and a few cries of outrage were even heard. It seemed the girl had broken a few rules with her trick.

But Naruto knew he couldn't stop. He knew from experience: he would only have peace if he defeated everything she could throw at him. That didn't mean they would be on good terms but at least she would stop trying to attack him in the future. But he had to deliver an utter defeat for that to happen. Automatically he reached for Kyuubi like he had done so many times in the past days and relayed the message. He heard her agree and then felt surprised. It seemed something had remained from their earlier link. This could be useful.

This time things were serious. Her movements had changed and it was harder to dodge. But still he managed to do it. He exploited every opening he had, delivering powerful attacks and avoiding the blade.

In the end it all came to one move. The girl jumped and brought the staff down on him, on a slicing motion. On the last moment, Naruto stepped aside, lifted his arm, let the blade pass aside it, and closed it down on the staff, seizing it. He then applied a swinging motion to it, making it escape the grasp of the girl so that he now held the control of it. With a final rotation of his body, he used the only ninja technique in the entire match and body flicked himself behind her. He had not intended to use it. He had been trying to unconsciously use a substitution technique. But there was nothing but air behind the girl so that had been what had been moved into his place. And he had accidentally tapped the secret of the Jutsu. But that could wait for later. Now he had to end the match. Naruto nudged the tip of the blade to her neck and said: "It's over. You lost. Please admit defeat."

"Never!" she growled.

Naruto applied a blow in her head and she dropped to the ground unconscious. He supposed he could have been more gracious in knocking her out, but he didn't know that much of anatomy. It was better not to risk injuring her for real.

He walked towards Kyuubi and heard a soft clapping. The old woman was there.

"Great display of combat knowledge. I hope this lesson has been learnt. Not only by Svelia there, but also by all of you." the old lady said, addressing the other viewers, "Pride is nothing but an enemy in battle. Don't let it go up your head."

She walked towards the two of them and said, as the others returned to their duties: "Well done! Forgive us for Svelia's actions. She has always been a little too overconfident and arrogant. I assure you she will be punished."

"Nah, it's alright" Naruto said dismissively, "I had a friend once who was a stuck up bastard too. Being defeated was probably punishment enough."

"Still," Kyuubi said, "It would be good for them not to try and talk ill of you in front of me. Or else..." he turned towards the others and cried "AND FOR ALL OF YOU, I HOPE THIS SERVES AS A LESSON! WHEN I CHOOSE A BONDING PARTNER, I CHOOSE THE BEST, YOU HEAR? THE BEST!" she raised his arm and did a little victory dance.

The old lady was laughing again.

* * *

Naruto sat on the library. He was pretty much alone, except for some random Order Accepted, searching for materials for their exam. It had been several weeks since he had made the reinforcement of the link between himself and the Kyuubi. The vixen girl was elsewhere, probably talking to the old woman. Those two were always discussing over something and it had been only a few days before he had discovered exactly about what. The old lady had been introducing her to modern society. Explaining her the finest details of human behaviour. Since she had much more experience at that than Naruto, he had left them for themselves.

He had roamed around the city too, talked to the folk, who seemed to respect him a lot, to Juannes, and took some lessons on hunting, which took several days on a row. Kyuubi stayed behind because they seemed to think it would be best for him not to depend on her too much when it came to survival on the wild. They could never know when their link would be somehow interrupted. Given his experiences in the Temple, Naruto had to agree. They still stayed in contact with each other through their mental link but that didn't stop Kyuubi from appearing positively sick from anxiety the first time he went on one of those expeditions.

Now he was reading a book he had found while going randomly through the bookcases. A most interesting book.

It was a sort of history book and told the tales of the world from the times of old. So far, Naruto had learned the reason for the existence of the order and some few accounts on what had happened to lay waste to the city.

Apparently, there had been some sort of experimental facility, located somewhere beyond the desert that surrounded the city. A huge cataclysm happened that destroyed everything many miles around, creating the then non-existent desert, and destroying more than half the city. As time went by, all sort of bizarre creatures started to appear, not at all friendly, and a military order was created for protection of the people. Even now, centuries after the last creature appeared, the order was still up and about. The Bijuu had apparently been known at the time and the organization was created based on the idolization of one of them. Coincidently, the Twelve-Tailed Vixen Goddess. 'Well that explains what the old lady meant when she said Kyuubi was the very foundation of the Order...'

But Naruto had found something much more interesting. Much more interesting indeed!

He was now walking to meet Kyuubi, with a piece of paper on his hand and a mischievous smirk that would have caused everyone in Konoha to flee on the sight of it. He found her watching the fishes on the cages in the lake by the waterfall with the face of someone who was thinking of doing something not so... right.

"Oh, hello!" She greeted him, "I was just seeing these fishes..."

"Yes, well, never mind that." he nodded, "I just found a most interesting information."

"Really? About what?" She asked, frowning at his smirking face.

With a flourished movement, he brought the paper into the air and started reciting: "On The Subject Of The Origin Of The Great – I can't read the name very well, so I'll jump this part – Twelve Tailed Kitsune Goddess." He paused to contain the laughter that dared to erupt at the sight of her face, "Once Upon a Time, the four elemental spirits came down to Earth to play. They were sitting beside a forest, listening to the music of the nearby river, when a small baby vixen jumped to the middle of them..." Kyuubi let out a screech of utter embarrassment and snatched the paper from his hands. To her horror, though, Naruto continued to recite from memory, as if nothing had happened. It was obvious he had taken the care to memorize the text in case something like that would happen. He continued to tell the ridiculous tale of how the spirits played with the fox and later rewarded her by giving her three times their elemental powers, in payment for saving them on various occasions. The now tomato-red kitsune girl was chasing him back and forth across the room. If Naruto hadn't known water walking already, he would have a difficult time escaping her frantic attempts to get him. "And so, the Vixen Goddess returned to Earth, to grace us with her ever present beauty. The End!"

Her frustrated yells echoed through the Temple.

And the old lady was laughing again.

It had been almost three months, since Naruto arrived at the shores of Berasylle, and the time had come to return to his homeland. The habitants of the village worked together on a farewell present. They made clothes for him, coloured black, that were very much similar to the ones he had been given before. Now, though, they were much more resistant, and they had added a large protector that acted like an armour between his skin and the clothes. The set was complemented by a large straw hat, also black in colour, to protect him from the sun. They explained to him that his clothes were black because the Kitsune would be sporting white colours, and it was fitting. Yin-Yang. The hunters who had taught him also offered him a gift: a large hunting Boomerang. On the day of departure, Juannes gave him the directions: "Always walk with the sun either at your left or right side, depending on whether it is morning or afternoon. If you wish to continue journeying at night follow the red star and it will guide you well."

All was set. The huge gates of Berasylle opened, pulled by some enormous and strange mechanical device, just enough for him to get through, like it had always happened when he went hunting. Naruto bid them all farewell and, not turning back even once, left the village where he had been better treated than his homeland.

* * *

**A/N.: Hi there and sorry for the long wait. My computer had that which I like to call an humongous crash of Doom, so I lost everything on this story. To make up for you here's two chapters almost on the same day. Thanks for the nice reviews and sorry for the mistakes.**

**About changing Kyuubi's name to another thing... I'll think about it. I'm just not comfortable with using another name for her – frankly, it sounds strange to my ears – and I just suck at creating new names. But we'll see. 'Till next time!**


	7. A new ability

**Chapter 7: A new ability**

"What the hell is wrong with this freakin' wind?"

There had been several days since Naruto and Kyuubi had left the village of Berasylle. And since the second day they had been 'pursued' by wind storms that swirled around them like mad ravaging dogs, never allowing them a moment of rest. It was clear to Naruto that some God, somewhere, had a huge grudge against him.

"AAAAHHH!"

"You do know that screaming and threatening the wind won't have any effect, don't you?" Naruto looked behind him. A girl, slightly smaller than him, with flowing white hair, followed him. Twelve tails swirled around her, coming from behind her. Kitsune Goddess, Twelve-tailed Vixen, power incarnate. Her foxy ears were turned backwards in order to protect themselves from the gushing wind. Even though she had used that tone with him he knew she too was disturbed by the wind. "I'm a little thirsty, Naruto…" she continued with a tired voice.

Naruto threw her the skin bag and watched as she drank eagerly. He looked away from the sight, to the sky, and watched the sun. The light was dimming steadily. One more hour or so and it would be night. "We'll stay here for the night." he declared, "I'm going to search for some water. You stay here resting." He added before leaving their belongings at her side.

"No!" she said with a rough voice, trying to get up, "I'm not letting you go alone."

He gently pushed her down, "I won't be alone." He said smiling down at her and waving the necklace she had given to him in front of her face. He turned and headed into the sunset.

* * *

Naruto walked, bent forward in attentive observation. The lessons with the Hunter's of Berasylle covered a lot of different things, from fighting with the village's Grandes, a sort of elite Jounin, if he was to make a bridge between them and ninja, to recognise the best place to set camp against the ravaging weather of the desert. But most importantly, they had thought him how to find water. Even when there was no Oasis on sight. The concept itself was quite simple. There were plants where he could extract water from. The problem was finding them. They only grew next to specific trees, like the ones he was now inspecting. They were scarce but usually they always grew in groups so, when one actually found them, he or she would normally get a large supply of water.

Finally, Naruto managed to spot a couple of dried leaves scattered across the ground in an orderly fashion. He couldn't help a smile. On the real test, he had managed to find the plants!

As he started digging with his hands across the sandy ground, he couldn't help but to think of the vixen girl. Kyuubi was taking the desert crossing a lot harder than he would have thought. Truth to be told, he hadn't thought it would affect her at all, with she being a goddess and all. It hadn't been until the day before he had understood what exactly was happening: Because Kyuubi was generally a being of pure chakra, she was not used at being put under the stress that come off from having a material body. Which meant she was sensitive to extreme environments and wasn't yet able to cope with large periods of physical activity. The way she had told him, she had only withstood with it during their fights at the Order because she would be drawing bits of his stamina to get her going. But now that they were in the desert, she couldn't risk doing it at the cost of causing his death over exhaustion.

Naruto put down two plants he had just taken out and sighed. There were still a lot more around but these would suffice for the night and the day following. He had thought deeply about it and had jus made a decision: they would stay at the present camp and rest until at least the day after the following. That way Kyuubi would get her rest. And he too. As much as he hated to admit, two weeks of desert-crossing were taking their toll on him.

Naruto grabbed the plants and headed back to their camp.

"I have decided we shall rest here for tomorrow as well", Naruto said to Kyuubi in an overly exaggerated formal speech.

The girl mane a small effort and rose into a seated position. Naruto wasn't sure but he could swear she had been sleeping when he got back.

"Why?" she asked, "I thought you were trying to get back home as soon as you could manage…"

"And I am. But I need to rest and you too as well. Specially you. I've never had that kind of problem thanks to your healing powers, but there was this ked back in Konoha. He once had an accident that made him break on of his arms. They had to immobilize it and after it had healed he wouldn't be able to move it at all. He had to spend months to recover the mobility. I suppose what's happening to you is something of the same type, except much more widespread…"

"I don't want you to postpone your affairs or necessities just because of a passing weakness on my side!" she answered somewhat hotly.

"You think I'm crazy?" Naruto replied jokingly, "I only once made the mistake of underestimating girls and Sakura-chan immediately took the measures to 'educate' myself. No!" he continued, "I too am feeling worn out so if you won't stay here tomorrow for you, stay for me. I also need to rest."

'There!' he thought, 'now she shouldn't be bringing any more arguments for we to take off tomorrow.'

Kyuubi stayed silent for a few moments. She seemed to be having some sort of internal dialogue, although Naruto didn't notice any of it. He was too busy preparing the fire for the night. As he had painstakingly discovered, nights in the Desert were ice cold. He was having some trouble lighting it up, though. The last of the matches he had been given by Berasylle's Chefe had been used the day before so…

"GOD-DAMNIT! IF ONLY I KNEW SOME COOL FIRE JUTSU, YOU'D SEE YOU DUMB WOOD! I'D ROAST YOU ALL ACROSS THIS DESERT AND BACK!"

There was a flicker of movement echoing across the dusty gold and a sparkle flew from behind him. The fire began to burn, cracking the wood slightly. Naruto turned around.

"I've been a little insensitive and egotistical… I hope you can forgive me!" Naruto was left petrified in shock as Kyuubi seemed to be extremely nervous with something, even going to the extreme of getting to her knees and touching the ground with her forehead, in a submissive manner.

"Kyuubi? What the hell?…" he started.

"There is another way for me to cross this desert without having to be on human form. It is one of the advantages of having performed a bond with you…" she interrupted him, hesitating, "There is a ritual of a sorts we can do… if it is successful, then we will be able to cross this desert without you having to wait for my weak body…" there was bitterness in those words. A self-recriminating tone.

"What are you talking about?" he asked bewildered.

"I've been selfish and haven't taken your feelings - no!- you're well-being into account. I've only been thinking about me…" she was trembling slightly, "There's a Jutsu. It can turn me into an object or something easy to carry. I don't know what it will be because it varies from conformer to conformer. I don't even remember my previous ones…" she bit her lips in frustration.

"So you're saying we can perform this Jutsu?"

Kyuubi nodded before adding, "I hope you forgive me for not telling you sooner. I just wanted to enjoy this feeling for some more time."

"What feeling?" Naruto asked curious.

"Of having a body… of living."

"It's okay… But we'll still be staying here tomorrow! I want to have a decent nap and meals for a change!" he smiled at her. Kyuubi was so surprised by his reaction that he felt he needed to explain: "Kyuu-chan," she shivered slightly and blushed a little, "If you're being selfish you should have seen me when it comes to ramen. All people are selfish one way or another, I believe… And you've done nothing wrong out of this. We can try that Jutsu tomorrow. Not before. Now jump over here and lets eat something before sleeping.

Later that night, while listening to Kyuubi's soft breathing, with just a hint of snoring, Naruto thought. Kyuubi was just as complex as any other person he had ever encountered, if not more. She seemed pretty down, thinking she had been hindering him in some way for not telling him sooner about her ability. True Naruto was curious as to what it would be but he hadn't really minded her for hiding that from him. A lot more people had done a lot worse. With a sudden insight he realised that whatever was happening between the two of them, it was just like making friends! They were testing waters, testing each other, to know how far they could go, just like how when you make a friend for the first time. It was hesitation and fear of not being accepted, he realised. He just hoped he had been able to pass the message that he had already accepted the vixen girl. He really wanted to be her friend.

Naruto sighed before turning to his side, falling asleep.

* * *

Sakura came to her senses with a sudden start. She had been having a dream but she couldn't remember the details, and the memory of it was rapidly disappearing. No, it was of no use. She couldn't put her finger on what it was. All she knew was that it had left her with a warm feeling in her heart. One that was quickly disappearing after the reality started to sink in.

Months had passed since that dreadful day. Months since Uchiha Sasuke had put a Chidori through his best friend's heart. Months since her life became a living hell.

Those months had not been kind to Sakura. Between finding out that she had been raped by a former team-mate and that the council and the Godaime Hokage were considering pulling her off from active duty, she had had a very hard time. Sakura had, eventually been able to convince Tsunade that it would be best to keep her in ninja duty. She was sure her sensei, Hatake Kakashi, had had some involvement in that decision. Exactly what he had said, however, wasn't clear. But she had no team to return to, no team-mates to depart with in some mission. Even her sensei wasn't available for resuming activity and Sai had apparently returned to Root. So she would be accompanying a new team of recently accepted Genin and their respective Jounin sensei. Which happened to be Shikamaru.

Sakura got up and looked around the room. She grabbed a towel and made her way to the small bathroom Naruto had in his apartment.

Her new situation on terms of housing was just another bitter development from the events that surrounded Naruto's death. After learning of her raping, Sakura's mother had not agreed with her going back on active. This resulted in the most enormous fight Sakura's neighbourhood had ever listened to, which ended with Sakura leaving her family's house. Without a place to go, she ended up settling on Naruto's place for shelter. Even after all those months, even though she knew he was gone forever, she just couldn't imagine that apartment as belonging to any other than him. She felt like an intruder. And that feeling had not changed. Not in it's core at least.

As she made her way to the gates of the village, Sakura thought about the upcoming mission. With Akatsuki and Orochimaru on the loose, both of them armed with one of the most potent Dojutsu ever, the Kaleidoscopic Copying Wheel- Eye, Mangekyo Sharingan, the Fifth, along with the old farts at the Council, had decided that it would be best for team missions to be accomplished with additional support. And since Sakura had no team, she supposed she qualified for it.

Shikamaru had initially taken the role of teacher at the academy, along with the task of Chuunin proctor but, with his promotion to Jounin, the Godaime decided to assign him a team for him to train. He HAD complained a lot but Sakura knew that, deep down, he liked having a team of his own and he cared deeply for his students.

"How long will it be until that Chuunin arrives, sensei?"

The question had come from a youth at his right and Shikamaru looked down to face Natsuko. Just like her name, she sported a bright flaming red hair, like the summer setting sun. She was presently sitting on the ground, with a somewhat bored expression on her face.

"She won't take long. She'll be here any moment, now…" Shikamaru answered with his collected voice. He was still as lazy as always, but he tried to give his students the right impression. Or maybe it was him who was getting tired of pulling always the same act. Now he just tried to sound cool on his own way, just like Asuma had. Speaking of which, he still hadn't paid Shikamaru his due for losing on another one of their shougi competitions.

"What? We get another girl with us? Gee, sensei, why? Why?"

"What's with this why, Jiro-baka? Are you implying we're incapable?"

Shikamaru smirked at the antics of his students.

She spotted her right before she landed in front of them. Even though she hadn't been officially promoted yet, Sakura's skills had progressed far enough to be at least low-Jounin rank. Yes, she was capable.

Shikamaru observed her with a passing glance, before reaching out with his hand to greet her with a shake-hands. An uninformed observer might have dismissed it as just a glance, but anyone who knew Shikamaru knew he had just recorded into his mind every single aspect of her physique. And you look how you feel, that's how they say.

Sakura had bags under her eyes, which could be explaining by lack of sleep. But Shikamaru knew otherwise. It ran much more deeply than simple insomnia. The young woman was living a constant battle to hold sanity. A battle against her own conscience, against herself. She didn't smile anymore. Not like she used to. She still spared them an occasional smirk but most of those were mirthless. Sakura had died on that day. And it would take a miracle to resurrect her again. He sighed mentally and greeted her.

"Good you're here, Sakura. We're ready to leave."

Shikamaru was pushed slightly to the side as the two girls in his team, Natsuko and Kiyoko, stepped forward with a look of adoration on their eyes.

"Whaah, it's Sakura-sama!"

"Sakura-sama, can you teach us how to be as strong as you?"

"Sorry girls, that's a secret that I will keep. Only my shishou knows it, and I wont reveal it." Sakura answered with a smile. But the light on her eyes was off.

Jiro, the only boy on the team aside from Shikamaru, didn't say anything. Like most of the males his age, he tended to regard girls as weak but he was not about to tell that to someone who could kick is ass to the next year and back with the flick of her finger.

"You got everything you need, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura nodded and pointed to her backpack, "I got everything right here. All my medical gear, extra weapons and supplies. I'm ready to go."

Shikamaru nodded and said, "Let's go, Team 10!"

And they scattered in the wind.

* * *

As they jumped from tree to tree, Sakura decided to voice the question that had been on her mind for a while, "Say, Shikamaru? What's the mission, again?"

Shikamaru looked at her with an admired expression, "You don't know?"

"I was informed of this mission just yesterday night and wasn't given any briefing."

"Nothing too hard, at least on the surface. We are to meet with our contact on wave country and from there, take the boat to Snow Country. You know the one you an-"

"Yes. I know!" She interrupted him. Shikamaru sighed.

"Well, anyways, Snow Country is interested in becoming a ninja potency and as made a deal with the Leaf and the Sand. We will oversee the development of their ninja academy and form their first generations students."

Sakura thought a little.

"What do we stand to gain?"

"An ally."

It made sense, Sakura thought. It was not official but relations between the various ninja countries had been slowly deteriorating. If things were not played right, war could easily erupt. If that was to happen, Konoha would profit with any help it could accept. And Sakura had no doubt the war would come. Orochimaru would see to that.

They eventually camped for the night, and Sakura engaged the younger girls in conversation. Without being very sure about how it had happened, she found herself listening to the insecurities of the two girls relating to their role on the team. Shikamaru was a good teacher but he didn't know the mind of a girl and some problems were too subtle to be noticed, even by him. Jiro and his sensei didn't participate in the conversation, obviously, being too busy preparing the camp. None of the girls would have admitted having troubles if they had been listening. They reminded her a lot of her old self.

"…so don't worry." she reassured them, "The only thing that matters is protecting the ones close to you. If you do that, if you work as a team, no one will censure you. Never give up. And make up your own ninja way!"

The girls were almost drooling when she finished her speech.

"I should have known only Sakura-sama would be so cool!"

Sakura awkwardly scratched her head, smiling, "Actually, I didn't make this one up. One of my team-mates used to tell this all the time."

"Really? Who? How was he?"

Sakura didn't know exactly how or when the conversation had turned to interrogation about her team. And she really didn't want to remember those painful memories. But without being able to stop herself, her mouth started to form the words she did not want to speak.

"He was… My best friend." She said. And until that moment, she did not realise how true those words were, "he was the greatest of friends, always worrying about the happiness of others. He would even throw his own life away if he thought it would help any of us. And he had great talent as well! He achieved control over a B-rank technique as an academy student!" the girls openly gaped at this statement.

"Where is he, Sakura sama?"

Sakura stayed silent until the hollow words came out of her mouth, "He died…"

"I-I'm sorry, Sakura-sama, I didn't mean to…" Kiyoko tried to apologise.

"Of course you didn't, don't worry!" Sakura smiled again. It was a tight smile but the girls didn't seem to notice.

"He would never quit no matter how much difficult things seemed…" She continued after a while. The girls listened, mystified, "Now that I think about it, we probably made it through the Chuunin exams because of him. Yes he pulled us all the way to were we are now."

"Did Shikamaru-sensei know him too?" asked Natsuko.

"Oh yes! Next time you have time, you should ask him about him! Now we better go off help those two. I don't know how you too feel, but I don't trust men when it comes to make things like a camp right!" Sakura said. It was time to finish the conversation before it went too far. She couldn't loose control. Not during a mission. Fortunately, the girls seemed to agree, and they made their way to the clearing.

But no matter how much she tried to forget it, the conversation kept coming back as Sakura tried to sleep. And unbidden, memories of her lost friend kept coming back to haunt her. It took her a long time to get back to sleep.

* * *

Naruto reached his best meditation state with the usual feeling of calm accomplishment he was used to feel. Opening his eyes, he saw that Kyuubi was already at his side, ready to continue. It didn't surprise him: she was much better than he was.

"Right! I'm ready Kyuubi. What's next?"

"You must establish a link with myself, much like that first time at the beach remember?" at his confirmation, she said, "But don't fully merge with me, just establish a line of communication!"

Naruto was once again in front of the monolith he had seen before on his mind. But instead of the fox muzzle there was now the figure of a humanoid female much like the one on his necklace. He supposed it was because of the contract having been reinforced.

'Right, Kyuubi said not to merge. Last time I stepped fully inside it, so I suppose just touching it with one arm is enough…' He reached out and placed his palm on the surface of the object. The figure glowed brightly and light engulfed him.

Naruto opened his eyes once again. Kyuubi was still there, but this time he heard her voice inside his head. He knew it was inside his head because she had not opened her mouth to speak.

"Okay," the vixen said, "we are linked by mind. We must now link by heart."

"How do we do that?"

Kyuubi coloured deep red at this.

"You place my hand on my chest… right above my heart."

"What?" Naruto panicked. He was about to refuse when the thought that she might think he didn't found her pretty, or worthy in any other way, if he refused to do it, "Oh, alright!"

Blushing brightly, Naruto placed his left hand on her left breast, at the distance of an arm, side by side with her, as she had instructed. He trembled involuntarily at the soft contact.

There was a deep, soft sigh from Kyuubi. Naruto looked just in time to see an expression of… something on her face, before she closed her eyes. What happened next surprised him to no end: Kyuubi's body sort of liquefied, turning silver and rearranged itself like water around his body. Her face became a mask of a sorts, a mask of a fox, and placed it self near his heart. The remaining of the body became a suit. A trench coat made of a silvery fabric he couldn't identify. White fur surrounded his neck and the ends of the coat's arms. But it wasn't hot, even though he was on a desert. White gloves completed the set.

"So what do you think?" he heard Kyuubi say nervously. The mask had lifted to his eye level.

Naruto smirked playfully, "Just wait until we show this to the guys back home!"

* * *

**A new chapter for (I hope) your viewing pleasure. Thank you very much for the mistakes and sorry for the possible reviews ( :-P I'm kinda sleepy considering it's past midnight and I had the most trying schoolday of the week...)**

**One major change here, in case you haven't noticed...**


	8. Instalation 002

**Chapter 8: Instalation 002**

Naruto sat near the river he and Kyuubi had just reached. Small grass grew along with sporadic trees in the immediate surroundings. Up the mountain chain known as The Jaw, the trees gathered and proliferated, forming small woods that eventually interconnected into a large forest. Even farther up, however, the vegetation withered away and the mountains showed their exposed sides to the sunlight. The peaks were invisible, covered in clouds. Even though the mountains had been visible for days, Naruto had never seen the clouds scatter. Not even once.

The crossing of the desert had been a difficult one and it had left its mark on him. On both of them, for Kyuubi's body seemed to react to outside stimuli even in her cloak form. Naruto had tried the mask a few times and discovered that his senses were enabled to extreme, which proved useful in hunting, when their food began to get scarce. They had been lucky: after leaving the desert, Naruto had managed to get as much meat and vegetable food as he could and he had no doubt they would need it before they reached the other side of the Jaw.

With the extreme effort the crossing had required, he had further developed his physical condition. He could now withstand gruesome physical exercises, even more than before. He also sported a heavy tan, which somewhat concealed it's more pronounced whisker marks. Although his skin colour would, in the times to come, return somewhat to it's normal shade, he would forever be gifted with a darker tone, as if he frequented the beaches of wave country everyday of it's life. This would only contribute t make his bright blond hair stand out, as well as his unusual blue eyes.

Kyuubi too was more tanned, but since her skin colour was already darker, the effects hadn't been so visible. After they reached the end of the Suranamanara desert, Kyuubi had reverted to its former human body. It had been an interesting moment. Naruto thought it would be lot more complicated than it proved to be. Actually, he had just to think about separating themselves.

Unknown to Naruto or the Goddess, he had, meanwhile, turned fifteen. The crossing of the Suranamanara had taken something close to a year. And in front of them stood the great chain of mountains known as The Jaw.

Naruto got up and, followed closely by the Kitsune, resumed their way.

* * *

The days that followed were dull. Awfully dull. A constant repetition of the previous one. Wake up, eat, climb, eat, rest, climb, eat, sleep. And with the annoying, not to mention sometimes dangerous, constant that was the wind. It constantly gushed past them, blowing their clothes away. Sometimes causing them to lose balance on crucial occasions such when they had to climb almost vertical walls, in the absence of a better path to follow.

Naruto had been ecstatic with the prospect of reaching the top of the mountain they had been in, in order to see the famous city Argentia. Sadly, this was not hat fate had reserved for him. Instead, he was rewarded with the vision of more mountains, some of them even higher than the one he had climbed. A thick mist covered the atmosphere and he couldn't see past the first mountain or two.

The climbing it self hadn't been easy. But what bugged him, bugged them, above anything else, was a feeling of tiredness, the impression that every gulp of air they took didn't carry the necessary amount of oxygen. Naruto couldn't have known for he had never had anyone or any source of knowledge on the subject of mountain climbing, and Kyuubi had never done such a thing either, but they were suffering the lack of oxygen inherent to high altitudes. The freezing temperature up there was not a comfortable thing either and Kyuubi had to once again assume the cloak form to keep Naruto from freezing to death. A task she seemed to take rather seriously. Her cloak form also proved invaluable as it acted as a body armour and could stretch to grab things (A/N: Yes, I based it on Allen Walker's Crowned Clown). More than once it kept them from falling down.

It wasn't until they reached the top of the second mountain that they saw it. The strangest looking mountain they had ever seen. It looked like a normal mountain on the base but, near the peak, it assumed a strange form. It reminded the point of a large advanced gun, a gun pointing at the head of the universe. At least that was what he would have said, if Naruto knew what a gun was. It's colour changed from the inherent to the normal terrain into a darker one, almost as if it was made of carbon. It was the largest, biggest mountain of them all, as far as Naruto could see. And, undoubtedly, it meant it was also the hardest to climb. The sight of it sent shiver to Kyuubi's ethereal back. And she couldn't understand why.

"Hey, Kyuubi, come here and see this..."

Alerted by his voice, the vixen girl left the small river they had set camp next to and followed in his direction. Two days before, they had started the process of climbing the strange looking mountain and after deciding to take a break of one day before facing the harsher environments of higher altitudes, Naruto had been gone, exploring the surroundings. They hadn't seen a single animal that day, even though they were standing close to a small forest. One of the many that seemed to proliferate at the base of the mountains.

Naruto had penetrated slightly inside the tree line and had discovered a large cave, well hidden in the vegetation.

"Let's go exploring, shall we?" he invited.

Kyuubi looked at the darkness inside the cave, feeling a bit uneasy abut something.

"What about the camp?" she asked.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before nightfall. We'll have plenty of time to put it up, and I doubt there will be thieves here..." he answered, "let me just get a torch and we'll follow right through!"

After gathering the said tool, Naruto lit it in the bonfire Kyuubi had made using her abilities with the elements. That book might have had that ridiculous story about her, but it was right in one thing: she was proficient with fire. And if it was right about the rest, she would be with water, wind and earth too. They would just have to wait and see.

* * *

The more steps they took into the deep cave, the more nervous Kyuubi was feeling. But she didn't say a thing. The last thing she needed, she thought, was Naruto thinking she was scared. She would put a brave face for him to appreciate. And she also couldn't see nor feel anything wrong. Still, the uneasiness kept growing, still there. Time had passed and she was about to suggest they started going back when Naruto came to an abrupt end.

In front of them was a large gate. A gate made of a material Naruto could not identify no matter how much he tried. It looked tough. It reminded him of the gates in Berasylle, although these seemed to be much more advanced. A circle made of the same material emerged from the dusty ground. On the wall to the right, a couple of panels and some other stuff he couldn't recognise stood, as if waiting.

He took a step forward and Kyuubi let out a sharp breath. She couldn't understand why but she was almost paralysed by a fear she could not identify.

"Naruto... let's go back!" she pleaded.

"Why? I can't see nothing wrong with this place. And behind it there's nothing as far as i can feel with these eyes..."

He was right, Kyuubi told herself, she was being foolish. Was this the behaviour of a Goddess? A being more powerful than all the others? And besides, Naruto's eyes could sense movement. Everything would be fine.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She said.

"It's alright." was the answer. And he stepped into the circle.

The cave was immediately lit with a blue light, as cylinders disposed at the sides of the gate filled with what seemed to be liquid energy. The panels on the wall came to life and Naruto was engulfed in a light coming from bellow. Kyuubi screamed and jumped to him but got repelled by an invisible force. In the panels appeared a human figure, without distinguishing traits and beside it a double helix, connected by several bridges started flowing. Finally, when Kyuubi was getting up to try once again, the screens flashed green and, with a thunderous noise, the gates opened, and the light around Naruto disappeared.

"Cool!" he said. Kyuubi had to admit, it had been impressive. And although she had gotten one hell of a scare, she was also starting to get curious.

The chamber that next appeared was fully illuminated. It was obviously electric light but, once again, it seemed like liquid light had filled the room.

When Naruto entered the chamber, followed closely by Kyuubi, the gate behind them closed, effectively preventing them from turning back.

"Tch! Guess we can only go forth, now..."

While he spoke, a large screen descended from the roof. They were no longer in a cave. Instead, they appeared to be inside a room, made of the same materials as the gate behind them. The screen was held in the air by no visible means.

Naruto and Kyuubi observed as strange letters filled the screen and a figure appeared, making a motion of putting the hand on the square that had, meanwhile, appeared on the screen.

"I... I think it's explaining what you have to do..." Kyuubi said.

"Oh! I get it!" Naruto answered, and put his hand on the surface.

A line scanned his palm and, at the same time, Naruto felt a sharp pain n the finger. When he took the hand, a spot of blood was on the screen. His finger healed almost instantaneously and, much to their astonishment, the blood was absorbed into the strange device.

Once again the double helix flowed and, to Naruto and Kyuubi's surprise, a full picture of his body was shown. Then they heard the few words they were spoken being repeated again and again, as lines of text they could not identify ran on the screen.

Finally, the screen locked and a message was displayed in what looked like a crud and ancient form of the language Naruto spoke.

_Subject recognised as human._

_Contract detected._

_Subject qualifies for entry._

_Due to security reasons, the usage of weapons is advised._

At this point, staff looking weapons emerged from the ground. Naruto grabbed one, as well as Kyuubi. There was another light, this time on the vixen goddess, and the screen continued.

_Contracted identified as Twelve Tailed Vixen._

_Team recognised as emergency strike team._

_If containment of the experiments is not possible, destruction of the facility is advised._

_If so, enter the following code into one of the terminals across the facility._

_WFG1-H223-Nar1-KYUU_

_Facility 002 is as of this moment, fully activated._

_The Project Tails_

"Well... This was interesting!" Naruto commented.

"I don't like this." Kyuubi said, "There appears to exist some kind of danger or problem on this place and it seems obvious that this facility expects us to solve it, if it is possible for an object to hope! I would normally advise against this, but it appears we have nowhere else to go..."

"Then in we go!"

* * *

Naruto and Kyuubi had been walking for hours, trying to find a way out of the facility. The place was huge. It appear to extend all over the mountain, or rather, inside it. Eventually, they had discovered a way up and started climbing. Nothing could be heard aside the humming of the electronic devices, but sometimes Naruto would feel, or imagine he had felt, movement somewhere around them. This made him nervous.

Kyuubi was nervous as well. Whatever awaited them inside that building was not good. She could _feel_ it.

Finally, they arrived at what seemed to be the main room of the facility. So far, they had not seen anything unusual. Just rooms and staircases, whit screens and other devices but nothing too out of the ordinary.

They decided to sleep there, as the room provided a better sense of security than the others.

When Kyuubi woke up, Naruto was observing one of the largest screens on the room, located exactly at the centre. What seemed to be a keyboard made of light hung in the air in front of Naruto, who was hesitatingly pushing one button or another. But there appeared to be intent behind his actions.

"I just found something interesting, and I think I'm almost succeeding in ordering this thing to show it to me." he said to her unvoiced question, "Let's see, I push this one.. and this one.. ah, here we go!"

An electronic beep as heard and the screen started to fill with horrible images. Pictures of people. People with their bodies altered beyond repair. And something much more terrifying: pictures of abominations, creatures with two heads, or several arms, with demented expressions, mad rage. And most scary of it all, they had tails, just like Kyuubi. Foxes, Dogs, Cats, every type of animal could be distinguished if you supported the visions long enough to see the details. There was another noise and the screen displayed the following message:

_File corrupt._

_Continue from the most recent registry:_

_Y/N?_

Naruto hit the Y key.

A movie started playing, with some notes displayed at one of the upper corners. It showed the work of several men, that Naruto supposed were inventors. They also showed tubes, made of what appeared to be glass, with a strange bubbling liquid inside. In it, several of the creatures they had seen before stood, as if sleeping.

Then the message changed and displayed: _Containment failure._

The scientists had been removing one of the creatures from the device when it suddenly came back to life and started killing the humans. After that, it broke the other containers and freed its brethren. The camera must have failed then because the file came to an end.

"W-What happened here?" he forced the question out of his throat. Kyuubi didn't answer, her gaze still fixed on the blank screen.

"Kyuu-chan... They looked like you! Do you think they were trying to kill the Bijuu?" the suffix seemed to give her some control over herself and she answered, in an unsteady, trembling voice:

"I don't know... Can you get a copy of all the files on this thing? I feel we ought to keep them."

"I'll try!" he typed some words into the screen and it displayed back the message:

_Creating memory device._

_Progress:_

A progress bar appeared and started to slowly grow.

"There, this should d-" CRASH! A loud violent sound was heard cutting his speech short. The doors started to open and a lot of arms made their way through. Arms with a sickening glow. They could not be humans. Growls could be heard and finally they got a look at their attackers' faces.

It was horrible. They appeared to be somewhere between human and animal and were contorted in a mad rage and voracious hunger. He heard Kyuubi contain a small groan of fear and activate her weapon. He did the same. The progress bar was about half-way till the end.

"Fuck! Kyuubi, We gotta gain some more time!" he screamed.

"Hai!" she launched herself into the gates and started knocking the enemies one after the other. But there was always more, and some of them started to fuse with each others, giving birth to stronger abominations. Strange enough, the creatures didn't appear to be interested in hurting the Vixen. They were ferocious but they appeared to be trying to physically contact her. Of course Kyuubi wouldn't have none of that and kept fighting to keep them away.

With a blip, a small cubic screen with a keyboard included appeared, as the progress bar reached the end. It was obviously the memory device and Naruto grabbed it without a second thought.

"Kyuubi, Let's get out of here!" He didn't know what they were but they were definitely dangerous. In a hurry, he typed the code they had been given and pressed the Enter key. The lights on the room turned red and an alarm sounded, as a warning message was heard:

_Containment failure._

_Facility destruction underway._

_All personnel, follow the green signs to the emergency pods. _

Kyuubi turned and run toward the door that had opened and sported a green sign of a man running above it. As soon as she did that, however, several creatures jumped and grabbed her.

Kyuubi fell to her knees screaming in pain, as her arms automatically lifted to her head. The creatures had a maniacal look of glee on their face and Naruto saw, alarmed, that Kyuubi's tails were receding. 'They're stealing her tails!'

Naruto ran like hell to the vixen and kicked the creatures away from them. Kyuubi collapsed and stood, paralysed by a strong feeling. Naruto identified it as fear. He lifted her and carried her to the exit as fast as he could, while the creatures broke what was left of the gates and started pursuing them.

The moments that followed passed like a blur to Naruto, running as fast as he could manage, kicking enemies out of the way, carrying a terrified girl in his arms.

Absently, he noted that, on one of the side rooms, a bunch of creatures concentrated, fighting two figures. The black cloaks and red clouds were a dead give-away and Naruto immediately put aside the idea of helping them. Instead, he made his way across the many rooms and corridors, following the signs.

Finally, when he felt like he wouldn't be able to move an inch more, he entered a room with a couple of strange devices on it. They kind of looked like enforced metal carriages. Guessing these would be the escape pods, Naruto entered one of them with Kyuubi and pressed the glowing button on the inside. The door closed automatically just in time. A couple of creatures smashed themselves against the window and started scratching the surface of the pod. If they didn't escape soon, Naruto thought, they would be in trouble. The pod trembled and, almost immediately, Naruto felt a tremendous force pull him towards the ground, as the pod went up at an enormous speed. As they gained altitude, he saw that the creatures had invaded the facility and were now crawling all over the place. Then they entered a tunnel and the speed grew even more. Now there was only darkness, with a passing light or two, when they crossed path with one of the energy cylinders.

And then, with a deep bump, They broke through a layer of snow and ascended into the clear sky. Naruto looked down, through the window. Bellow the two of them was the strange looking mountain, and they had exited right through the black peak. As he looked, the mountain trembled, a shock wave blasted, and the peak exploded in blue and yellow flames, consuming the creatures, the facility, and hopefully, the Akatsuki member's completely.

Having completed the ascension, the pod started to fall and, much to Naruto's relief, a large piece of cloth came from the top and slowed down the fall. It was a small object. Just big enough for the two of them to sit. As they drifted above the mountains, in the direction of what looked like the end of the chain of mountains and into a rain-forest, Naruto started to observe Kyuubi, to assure himself she was alright. With an enormous relief, he noted that her tails were slowly but surely growing back. She was sitting on the pod's ground, hugging her knees, still trembling.

Naruto reached out, touched her cheek and was almost thrown to the ground when she threw her arms around his neck and completely broke down, crying.

"I could feel them! I could feel their thoughts! They hated me, they wanted to kill me!" she sobbed, "They envied me!"

"Why?" he asked softly.

"Because I had you..."

* * *

**Right. Here's another update. Sorry for taking so long between updates but I can't help it. Read this chapter while listening to Halo 3 soundtrack, and I'm sure you'll get into the right mood right away. :-P**

**Hope you like it.**


	9. Eastbound

**Chapter 9: Eastbound**

Naruto looked through the window of the escape pod once more. Kyuubi appeared to be sleeping against him. They were still descending, Naruto calculated they were still about as high as the mountain peaks. The pod was thrown out with such speed it must have reached an enormous altitude, before starting to fall down again.

He had been thinking about what Kyuubi had told him. But he didn't know what to make out of it so he decided to brush those matters aside.

The pod was extremely slow on its descend and Naruto had plenty of time to survey their surroundings. There were the mountains, of course, but those wouldn't do them no good. He wanted to go home, not away from it, and after what had happened inside those rock formations, he wanted to get as far away from it as fast as he could manage.

The pod rocked a little and the material made a noise as if it was whining from the weight it had been put under.

Naruto tensed a little but relaxed again, when it became obvious nothing would happen. Perhaps such noises were normal in such a thing.

He reached for his skin bag and extracted the strange looking device he had retrieved from the machine inside the facility. In the rush that had followed, he had subconsciously stored it safely on his travel pack. He wanted to be sure, however, that it remained in good shape. The bumps, and attacks he had received while kicking his way out to the escape pods could have damaged it.

He took a god look at it, for the first time.

It was a roughly square box, about the size of his closed fist. It had no special features, except for a spherical bulge in one of the sides, as if someone had thought of shaping it into an eye and left the job halfway done. On the immediate side was a small button and the power symbol.

Although Naruto had no such things, several Konoha residents possessed televisions. He had wanted one too but he had always been short on money and hadn't had much of a chance to buy one before being instated as a ninja. After that, he received payments for his team's missions but he didn't have the time to really watch the programs. As such, he quit the idea. He had, however, a small alarm-clock and he knew that the symbol on the device meant the button next to it would activate it.

Naruto quickly checked on the sleeping vixen girl before pushing the button.

There was a soft 'bleep' and the bulge started to shine. After a moment, it did another sound and several, or rather, lots o lines made of red light shot from the circle. They rearranged themselves in an orderly fashion and assumed the form of squares, like a two dimension keyboard made of light. The characters they sported were like the first ones they had seen on the screens of the facility, and they bare no resemblance to any known language Naruto knew of. A larger square shot from the bulge and lit up displaying several messages in that unknown language. That was the screen, for sure.

Naruto sighed deeply as he hit the power button again and the device deactivated. He was nursing one hell of an headache and didn't have the necessary patience to sort out how to work with the instrument. Better wait until they were on ground and Kyuubi was awake.

Almost as if she was waiting for him to think that, the girl beside him stirred and started to wake up. Naruto quickly put the device on the bag again: he did not want her thinking he was trying to figure things out without her help and he had more pressing matters than the box, right now. Such as how Kyuubi was feeling.

Kyuubi had just opened her eyes for the first time in a while when several things happened.

First, the pod gave a violent jerk and at the same time they heard something snap. The silence that followed was somewhat terrifying, as the two occupants looked questioningly at each other, listening to the whines of the metal case they were in. Then, there was another jerk and with a sudden start, the pod went on free fall. From there to the complete failure of the pod's infrastructure were tens seconds.

* * *

'Crap! Crap! Crap! CRAAP!' Naruto screamed in his mind as he and Kyuubi fell, with the air gushing past their faces. In the moments that followed the pod's complete destruction, Naruto had, somehow, managed to get a hold of Kyuubi's hand and pushed her towards him.

He didn't know what had happened. All he knew was that they were falling towards the ground at ever increasing speed. And the ground was still far bellow, so there was a lot of time for gaining speed. The scraps of metal from the pod had long passed through them and were far ahead the two unfortunate travellers.

They were getting closer now, much closer. The metal had hit the ground. He couldn't see it, but had felt it through the golden dust. Like a shock wave. He looked desperately at his side. Kyuubi was looking at the approaching ground with a shocked expression. Paralysed. A lone tear shone briefly on her eyes before being swept away. She looked like a normal, scared girl.

They say life passes in front of your eyes, when you are nearing death. On those few minutes before hitting the ground Naruto remembered all the important moments of his life. His acceptance at the ninja academy. Iruka-sensei recognizing him as his great student. Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Tsunade-baa-chan, Ero-sennin... Kyuu-chan. Something snapped inside him as he remembered what had been done to her, how she had recovered and bonded with him only for... for this! He pushed her closely and twisted mid-air, in order to put himself between the ground and the girl. This action seemed to snap her out of her inactivity and she screamed into his ear.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto didn't answer as he shut his eyes tight. The impact would come any minute now. And with his luck there were trees everywhere except right where they could stop their fall. He wished he would have been able to save them both. He wished he had listened to Kyuubi when she pleaded him not to enter the cave. He grid his teeth and wished for the fall to stop with every fibber of his being. A wish as worthless as it was automatic, because there was no way he would be saved. The darkness of his closed eyes suddenly changed. He did not felt that change physically but he knew something was different within him. His field of vision was now filled with liquid golden water, flowing, swirling madly around him. At the same moment he felt a jolt across his entire body as he experienced a massive deceleration. And the, with a small jerk, a stop.

* * *

He didn't feel anything besides Kyuubi against him. His clothes and body were still being affected by gravity but he wasn't feeling anything supporting him. Naruto opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of blue sky above him. On his peripheral vision, he managed to make out some trees above them. They were in the clearing they had been falling towards, he realised. He looked down and noticed Kyuubi had also shut her eyes and was applying and iron grip hug at him. She opened her eyes and looked at him, surprised.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked her. "How did you stop the fall?"

"I didn't..." she answered in awe. Naruto watched as she shifted, trying to look bellow, past him. Which was difficult since she was lying on top of him. He had to keep an iron control on his body to keep it from shifting with her movement. The trees of the clearing moved, opposing her every motion.

Kyuubi looked down for quite sometime and then shifted a little more to look onto his back.

"By Kami!..." he heard her whispering, "how?"

"What is it?" Naruto asked in a rasp voice. He was starting to feel surprisingly tired. Maybe it was the adrenaline wearing off.

As an answer, she leaped from him to the ground.

Something was very wrong, because instead of being at her feet, like he expected to, Naruto found himself at her head's height. He tried to sit up, but failed completely. His movements were abrupt and didn't meet any expected support. His body twisted and turned uncontrollably and Naruto found himself hanging upside down, a few centimetres from the ground, with _no visible support_. He was _floating_! Swirling waves of the golden water flowed eerily bellow him, shifting as Kyuubi circled him, curiously watching his struggles. And Naruto started to understand what that thing was.

The golden dust. Except it wasn't dust anymore, it was liquid. Had he gone through a new evolution of his bloodline? More importantly, how had they survived the fall? The flow bellow him was so intense he almost couldn't see the real ground. He searched for Kyuubi and found her looking at him amazed.

"Help me."

"How?"

"I don't know! Help me get down, I don't want to be upside down for the rest of my life!" Naruto said.

"Why don't you do the same thing you did when you stopped us from falling?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything..."

"Well, _I_ know _I_ didn't do a thing, so it must have been you!" she answered emphatically.

Naruto crossed his arms in an annoyed demeanour which looked quite silly, considering his position. Kyuubi giggled a little too loud. Maybe she too was feeling the effects of the scare they had just felt. Naruto didn't know what to do so he simply waited. He was feeling more and more tired. Anymore and he would collapse.

Without warning, he resumed his fall and landed, head-first. He groaned a little as he tried to get up.

His legs failed him and an extreme nausea overwhelmed him, making him puke on the roots of a tree next to them.

"Are you alright?" Came the concerned voice of Kyuubi. Naruto could only manage a nod of denial. He felt like he had run a thousand miles. He looked at his arm as he wiped his mouth with the sleeve. He was shaking uncontrollably. If what had happened was because of him, it must have dispelled itself when he ran out of energy.

He sat down against the tree, away from the rejects of his organism, and Kyuubi knelled beside him, her face the epitome of worry.

"H-Hold on, I'm gonna run a quick diagnostic over you..." she told him, as she put her fingers on his forehead an closed her eyes.

There was a soothing feeling and, after a moment, Naruto started to feel better, more energized. Finally, Kyuubi withdrew her hands from him and sighed, whipping the sweat that had formed from her forehead.

"You are _exhausted_!" she said, "Completely depleted. You are even suffering from chakra exhaustion! It's a wonder you didn't die!"

"That's impossible!" he refuted, "You said I can't use my chakra!"

"Maybe not outside your body, but inside you can. And believe me, you must have used quite a lot to get into this state! Now, what did you do?" she demanded.

Naruto knew better than to argue with an angry girl so he started telling everything. When he finished, Kyuubi appeared thoughtful for a few moments.

"It is possible your bloodline has evolved and now lets you control that flow... but it seems to take quite a toll on you. We must train to control it and reduce the amount of energy it takes. Also," she continued" I believe what happened here was a fluke. It is best you do not attempt to float, let alone fly, until you learn to use this power. It might also be possible for you to control other things with it..." She kept going a little further into her academic speech about his bloodline when she noticed he had fallen asleep.

* * *

They resumed their way towards what they believed would be the shore were Argentia would be. They were short on food, for most of their gear had stayed behind, on the other side of the Jaw. Fortunately, the trees on the huge forest they were crossing, were quite similar to the ones on his country, so Naruto was able to choose some fruits for food. Still, he could have used some more variety.

As days passed by, with no end to their journey, they started to use the terrain for training, while journeying. Naruto learned that he could aid his movement with the controlled flow, making his jumps more smooth and longer in duration with little effort. It took a few months but he finally managed to gain a solid grasp of his new ability. However, he only managed to repeat his previous feat when he and Kyuubi joined. Alone, he still lacked the power. Even so, the vixen had said he was close to getting it himself, so he didn't despair.

They had talked about what happened on the strange mountain. Kyuubi had still been hesitant but eventually managed to recall everything without trembling in fear. But they hadn't managed to understand what had happened so they eventually dropped the topic.

Finally, on the morning of a very rainy day, Naruto and Kyuubi reached the top of a cliff. The forest continued in front of them, descending the cliff. But, past the misty air, they could make out lights. Lights worth a huge city. Argentia was in front of them, at last!

Naruto and Kyuubi approached the outskirts of the town with care. There was no telling them what to expect so it was best to be cautious.

"You better synchronize with me again, Kyuu-chan..." Naruto commented as he tried to look past the first buildings of the city. Abandoned buildings, which were not used anymore. "They may share the same benevolence towards you Berasylle had, but we shouldn't take chances..."

The Vixen nodded if somewhat reluctantly. Naruto stretched his left arm and softly grabbed her left chest, next to her heart. She sighed once again and transformed into the pale silvery cloak. Her mask materialized close to his heart, ready to jump to his face if necessary. Naruto adjusted the cape around him and entered the city.

The city of Argentia wasn't a very pretty sight. Maybe it was the misty rain, maybe the dark atmosphere coming from nightfall, but it was, nonetheless, an ugly place. He had wandered across the city for the whole afternoon, after leaving the surrounding forests, until Kyuubi, now safely wrapped around him in that cloak form of hers, suggested they tried the docks.

He had asked around and all the people he had talked too pointed towards one ship: an old looking one, without any mechanics, driven only by sails. Still it was still a big ship and he supposed it was a merchant one. From all the information he had managed to get from his crude understanding of Westron, gained while he was still in Berasylle, Naruto had understood this was the only ship that could possibly take him home.

To his surprise, the men on the ship talked his language. When he arrived there, one bearded small man was yelling orders at a couple others, who where carrying large crates into the vessel.

"Steadfast now, ye sea dogs! I wanna leave today still!"

"Cap? It's getting dark, are you serious?" one of the sailors asked.

"We lost precious time here, waiting for that overdue cargo! We must recover the lost time." the man yelled back at his crew. Then, without a warning, he turned to Naruto, who had silently approached behind his back and asked, "AND WHAT DO YE WANT, KIDDO?"

Naruto stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. Finally he asked,

"Hmm, are you the captain of this ship?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to give me a lift to the closest stop to Fire Country..."

The man seemed to take a good look at him, for the first time.

"Hmm, Konoha ninja, are you?" he asked. Upon confirmation he continued, "You see, trouble is, we're from Snow Country. We're gathering goods and stuff for a project we have with Konoha, but we won't go much farther than Snow. You can however, catch another boat there, provided you can pay for this voyage..."

"Oh... Princess Fuun is on an enterprise with Konoha?" Naruto asked.

"You know Princess Fuun?" the man asked surprised.

"Well, yeah, me and my team helped her get the throne back a couple of years ago..."

"Kid... just what is your name?" the captain asked.

There was a loud crash, as one of the sailors dropped a crate. The captain turned around in a fury and promptly started yelling at the man.

Naruto watched, slightly mystified, as he listened to the curses the captain was now sending towards the unfortunate sailor. The man seemed to have an hell of a varied vocabulary. Finally, he turned towards him again.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, as if nothing had occurred, "Oh, yeah! Who're ya?"

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto. I am part of Team 7 with whom I went on a mission to Snow Co-"

"Uzumaki Naruto? Well, I'll be. Le me have a better look at ya!" the Captain interrupted him.

Naruto found himself and Kyuubi being dragged under a light post which shone dimly in the falling night.

"You are him! I never thought I'd see you in person!" he exclaimed.

"What's so exciting about that?" Naruto asked, confused.

"ARE YA CRAZY!" he screamed, making the boy take a step back, "hum... are you crazy?" he repeated in a faint voice, now, looking at the streets to make sure no one was to attracted a their conversation, "You're famous. You and your team are heroes in Snow Country!"

"We are?" the young man asked uncertainly.

"Of course. You freed us from the clutches of those scurvy dogs, there are stories being written about your team!" the captain explained emphatically.

"Hum... Right! So... what about the payment for the trip?" Naruto asked, changing the topic to a more pressing and less embarrassing matter.

"Forget about it! Just make sure you're ready to depart! We leave at the third hour after nightfall" the man answered, before bidding him goodbye and gingerly (it seemed) make his way towards his man.

Naruto stood there for a little while, dumbstruck. That left him with two hours to prepare until he needed to board the ship, which meant at least one hour of waiting, doing nothing. He didn't have anything to prepare, and he planned to appear on the ship at least one hour early. With his luck, if he did different he would probably lose the ship.

He ended up hanging around the place for the whole time, after remembering he did not had any watch in him and so wouldn't be able to keep track of the time. When things started to look rather busy inside, he stepped into the boarding ramp and made his way inside the ship.

A lot of eyes were focused on him, he noticed.

The Captain approached him and greeted him warmly.

"I see you like to be on time! Good thing too, we finished transferring the cargo just now. Just waiting for the blasted Port authorities to give us green light for departure."

Naruto nodded. He had seen similar procedures on his mission to Snow Country.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Anything that may, well, pay for my lift?" he asked.

"No way in hell you're working on this ship, young master!" the man exclaimed, "I told you before, you're a hero. We don't give work to heroes. You just lay back on your quarters and do nothing but rest. Here, I'll show you the way to the bedroom." and without giving Naruto the chance to argue, he dragged him into the interior of the huge ship.

* * *

Naruto sat on the bed in his bedroom. With the exception of wandering on the deck, he had nothing better to do. No sailor would let him help. They seemed to consider him some sort of V.I.P. Passenger, although he was not very sure he understood the concept.

It had been quite some time since he had last put his feet on a ship and the sensation of the rocking vessel took some getting use too. Kyuubi, on the other hand, had never boarded a ship before and spent the first two weeks of journey carefully avoiding opening her mouth whenever she was on her human body – which happened only when they were alone on their quarters. She seemed to suffer a slight nausea with the movement.

But all that was behind now and she was conducting some serious training on Naruto's new abilities.

"I want you to be able to use them without my help, it might come in handy some time." she said.

Naruto made a face and whined, "But I'm already capable of levitating myself, there's nothing else to do! Teach me a cool Jutsu for a change, come on!"

Kyuubi sighed. No matter how older and mature he was becoming, Naruto would always be Naruto.

"Oh really? So the little ninja thinks he doesn't need more training?" she asked in a dangerously sweet voice. Oblivious to the impending doom, Naruto nodded eagerly, "Well, prove it. Prove me you can do it. Lift this," she threw him a mug the captain had given him.

Naruto just smiled. This would be too easy. Concentrating, he ordered the Flow to lift the cup on his hand. Flow was the name he had come up for the golden light only he could see and, lately, control to some extent. And he had named it Flow because it looked like water on a river and because he couldn't come up with anything better.

The cup lifted a few inches from his palm and wavered, before stabilizing about the height of his face. He smirked at Kyuubi. A smile that faded when he saw her narrowing her eyes.

"Now lift the pillow on the bed." he did so, "Now that book!" he lifted it, "Now lift yourself and the other things!"

Naruto's forehead became sweaty as he concentrated further. It was difficult to control several things at once, let alone something as big as his own body. He stood up from the bed he was sitting on and put his arms across his body, with the palms of his hands facing down. He had to do this to lift himself high enough so that the Flow could be placed under his feet. Finally, he ordered the light to support him and settled slowly on a lotus position, levitating in front of Kyuubi's face. He gingerly wiped the sweat from his face before she talked again.

"Now lift me too along with you."

Naruto inwardly cursed. She was definitely trying to kill him. Curse his own damn mouth!

Kyuubi remained completely undisturbed as he lifted her to his own eye level.

"Well, then lets see how much time you can keep this up!" she said with a bright smile, "while we're at it, I want some things explained."

Naruto sighed heavily and resigned to his fate. He had lived with her long enough to know she wouldn't let him rest until she had what she wanted.

"Fine."

"How do you do this?" she seemed genuinely interested.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"How do you control this, this flow?"

He thought about it a little. Kyuubi watched as his eyes unfocused and he searched for an answer. Finally he lifted his head. "I don't understand it myself very well. It's not like it requires an incantation, or hand-seals. All I have to do is to really wish it to do something and it happens, although at the expense of my own energy. It's as if I need to expend just as much energy doing this as if I was to, let's say, grab myself and lift me up with my hands." he explained, "I remember when a did this for the first time, I was wishing really hard I had been able to save us, to stop the fall. So it did stop us."

"So I suppose you understand why I'm making you do this?" she asked him. He looked back at her quizzically, "You expend as much energy doing things with the flow as if you would do it yourself. Lifting your own body must, therefore, take as much energy as climbing a vertical wall with just your hands. The same might be said for keeping you in the air. You must develop your body to withstand these expenses!"

Naruto sighed. "Right!"

"Ok, put us back down."

Relieved, Naruto did as instructed before collapsing on the bed. He listened to the sounds as the vixen girl approached and settled on the bed, laying beside him. She played with the fabric for a while before her face took an amused expression.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked confused.

"That thing with your hands. Every time you lift yourself up you do it as if it was some ritual."

"Oh. Well, I can't lift myself if I don't have a point of pressure for the Flow to do so. After I lift myself up high enough I can apply it to my feet. That's why I put my hands like that."

Kyuubi nodded, "So if you were fast enough harnessing the Flow, you could just take a small jump, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I do for flying. I just jump high and then use the Flow to drive me on the air. But I can't do this here, sadly..."

"You sure you can do it alone?" she asked, once again playing with the bed, her tails swinging slowly behind her.

"Yeah, I'm confident I can. For not too long distances, and not too much time." He answered, frowning.

"We have to work on your endurance once we get back to your village." she commented.

"Yeah!"

Six months took the journey. Six months in which Naruto trained like crazy on the privacy of his quarters. And his birthday came and went unnoticed, once more.

Finally, on a misty morning, the Land of Snow came into view, in front of them.

He was getting closer and closer home.


	10. Masquerade ball

Chapter X

Sakura sighed in relief as they left behind the imposing doors of the conference room in Princess Fuun castle. Not that she had disliked the encounter with the Princess; it had been pleasant enough, if one didn't count the awkward time when she asked about her team-mates. Shikamaru's timed intervention was invaluable in changing the conversation to safer grounds. No, what she absolutely despised was the explanations they had to give to the councillors and ministers of the Realm.

The sound of her footsteps echoed around her as she made her way towards their designed quarters. She had more than her share of dealings with the foul creatures called politicians. They understood nothing of military affairs and yet they stuck their noses on everything they could. Sakura had watched, helpless, as the shadows of the village council spread into the Hokage's quarters until they had taken almost every shred of real decisive power Tsunade-sama still held.

It was a timeless battle, one that had been taking place from almost as soon as since Konohagakure had formed. Because their laws were less strict than other villages when it came to decision making, being more based in collective agreement than singular harnessing of power, the council of elders was always trying to meddle on the Hokage's decisions. But Tsunade wasn't young anymore and, with the death of Naruto, she progressively lost her will to fight the invading influences. A ninja village needed young, combative, leaders to evolve, but if Tsunade stepped down from her post then it would undoubtedly be taken over by Danzo. Sakura had heard more than her share about the old war-hawk. So they were bound, so to speak. The Hokage had no real will to fight and she couldn't give the place to another. Not when she had no one to name as a successor. Kakashi-sensei could have been a sound choice but the betrayal of one and the death of another of his students had also taken a toll on him.

So now, almost every decision had to pass through the council. There was even a proposal for top-secret missions to need the approval of the council, for Kami's sake! Most of those old farts had no training as ninja or whatsoever, how could they hope to resist if they were put to subject of even the most half-serious interrogation? If Naruto could see the state his village was in, Sakura was sure he would kick himself on the balls. And then proceed to knock some sense on everyone.

Sakura stopped the dangerous path her thoughts were leading to when she arrived in front of the door of her room.

She took of her sandals and jumped to the bed. She was dead tired. Even though she was a fairly competent ninja, with an unofficial level of Jounin, ship travelling wasn't really her fondest way to get somewhere. Add to that the fact that she didn't really get a good night's sleep for months and she felt like she'd been knocked over by thousands of punches from her master.

Sakura rubbed her shoulder and upper arm. The strange scar she had there, unknown to anyone but her and the Hokage, had been tickling her steadily for some weeks. She had no idea what it meant but it could get really annoying sometimes.

Sakura still remembered how the Hokage had discovered it, and what it seemed to do. She had been training how to summon slugs when her master asked her to call the largest one she could...

* * *

_Sakura was summoning slug after slug, while her sensei watched at a strange device attached to some points of her body. It was a device to measure chakra behaviour under physical stress, the Hokage had explained._

"_Sakura, summon the largest slug you can, please..." the slug-Sannin said._

_Sakura moulded as much chakra as she could, slightly disturbed by the ticklish sensation running on her left arm. Unnoticed by her, Tsunade focused boldly on the device's screen._

"_Stop." the Godaime said "hold still for a while..." and proceeded to draw strange marks and seals on her exposed arms. She then asked her to take of her t-shirt and shorts! Upon noticing her disbelieving and highly denying expression, the Hokage added "Don't worry, no one will disturb us here. Sakura reluctantly did as Tsunade told her, only to find her body moments later covered by the same strange signals and seals. The Hokage then unfolded a scroll with more markings on it and an empty circle in the middle. She told her "Now mould some more chakra, please..."_

"_T-Tsunade-sama, what?..."_

"_Just do it, girl!"_

_Sakura started to once again gather chakra, disturbed. What the hell was going on? On one moment she was doing the exercise with all the normality possible and on the other one she was almost totally naked in a clearing on the forest near the village with seals all over her! And on the top of all, her arm was getting ticklish again..._

"_Well, I'll be..." Sakura heard the Hokage murmur, "Sakura... where did you get that marks on your arm?"_

_Sakura's heart did a double take. She didn't want the Hokage to know that Naruto had been the responsible for the wound, even if it had been unwilling. The Godaime seemed to notice her uneasiness because she said "Don't worry, I'm just curious. Whatever you got there seems to be increasing your chakra supplies and even lends you some when you're in need..."_

"_What?" Sakura blinked._

"_Yes, I'm surprised too. And that's not all, it also helped you recover in the infirmary after Uchiha Sasuke raped you..."_

"_WHAAT?" It wasn't a scream. It wasn't a yell. It was a screech, a pure manifestation of horror, disgust and rage. The Hokage looked up from the screen surprised at her reaction. "What?" she asked "I told you're mother to tell you, didn't she do it?" Sakura denied with a faint movement of her head. The Hokage cursed. "Damn! I'm sorry Sakura, this isn't how I would have wanted you to know..."_

"_What do you mean, raped?" the girl asked, voice faint. The Hokage sighed and stayed silent for a large period._

"_When Sasuke... finished using Tsukuyomi on you he... seemed to think that it was best to secure the continuation of his clan, whether you wanted to be an active part of it or not... So he... he..." but it wasn't necessary to continue. It was obvious what the Uchiha had done. The Godaime slammed her fist to the ground, opening several meters of abyss in the land._

"_Am I going to... to have a baby?" Sakura's voice was almost childish as she voiced the question. A small sparkle of amusement danced in the Hokage's eyes._

"_I don't think you need to worry about that, Sakura..." The girl lifted her head slowly to reveal a pained face strained with tears, the Hokage smiled a little, reassuring, before continuing, "I told you earlier today that that mark on your arm helped you recover after... after that. As soon as the medics finished their report, I started to do my own medical exams on you. It seemed likely that the Bastard would use Jutsu to ensure he would get his goal so I kept scanning you and preparing for an intervention to prevent pregnancy... But it turned out it wasn't necessary after all. My analysis showed chakra pouring from your left arm, chakra that was quickly heading towards your... sexual organs. Once there, it destroyed every single reproductive cells from the Uchiha. Not a single one was spared. I must say whatever happened to you, it gave you a really good help..."_

_Sakura didn't answer but started to unconsciously rub the mentioned arm. The Hokage recognized the symptoms: the girl was in shock. She reached for her and hugged her apprentice as she finally gave in and cried with all her might. When she seemed to have calmed herself she said softly, "The baka..."_

"_What?" asked Tsunade, equally softly._

"_That idiot Naruto. Even dead he keeps saving my day..."_

* * *

Of course her master hadn't intended to reveal on her that she had been rapped by her team-mate like that. It had been the greatest shock of her life, greater than learning that Kyuubi had been sealed on Naruto.

Sakura sighed again and turned to the side, before darkness finally claimed her.

* * *

It had been two years and Sakura was still on Snow Country. Worst of all: she didn't miss her village. She had no one to return to. She was still at cross with her mother, her father had died a long time ago on a perilous mission, and Naruto was gone too. She was hated, pitied or just completely ignored by her team-mates, so she didn't feel compelled to return on that account either. Staying here on duty with Shikamaru's team was much more appealing.

Unless she was the one dealing with her students, as was the case now. Not that she disliked them, but the girls were just too worshipping of her status as a 'successful' ninja, and the male brat seemed intent on doing everything he could to ignore her orders as far as he could go without eliciting a persuasion from her fists.

And checking the cargo and crew of incoming ships wasn't an overly interesting mission either. Still it was better than pursuing Tora.

She oversaw Natsuko and Kiyoko as they inspected the cargo of one of the arriving ships. She was just about to make her way to another vessel when a huge noise came from the direction she knew Jiro had gone inspecting. She looked just in time to see a rogue ninja throw the boy away and make an attempt to escape.

Sakura grid her teeth as she run toward the offender. The ninja wasn't identified of course. She threw a few kunai, and one of them managed to cut through the bag the fleeing man had. Several goods dropped to the ground, along with a few plants. Sakura recognized some as the ones used by her fellow medic-nins. 'Drugs!" she thought, 'Figures!"

It wasn't uncommon for them to encounter smugglers during these operations, but this was the first time she encountered a ninja doing it.

"WAHAHAHAH! And you call yourself a ninja? Don't make me laugh! You're just a baby, look at you: almost crying!" the man taunted the young boy.

Jiro let go a scream of rage and tried to launch himself at the other shinobi, before being stopped by Sakura's Kage Bunshin.

"Go back, and protect your team-mates! The original will deal with him, while I'll fetch Shikamaru!" Sakura said to the boy, before taking off.

Meanwhile, the original Sakura engaged the ninja with might and was surprised to find effective resistance. The man fought with the skill of a master and it was actually difficult for her to keep the pace. She started to use disabling medical Jutsu on her enemy and managed to even the odds. Now it was a matter of delaying him long enough for Shikamaru to arrive.

"Leaf ninja!" the shinobi growled, "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask the same question", Sakura answered in a calm, uninterested voice. She knew from her psychology studies that such behaviour tended to irritate foes, and an angered enemy was easier to read. "Where are you from? Rock? Grass? Sound? I hope you aren't from those worthless Rain bunch..."

The man growled in anger.

"Ah! So it is Rain!" she said, pleasantly, while avoiding the attacks.

The man didn't answer and, instead, pulled a scroll from his pouch and activated it. Sakura barely had the time to react and place a kunai in defensive position, before a huge blade slammed against her guard and threw her into a few crates of goods, sitting calmly nearby, watching the fight.

'Damn!' Sakura swore to herself, "this guy... he's Jounin-level! I hope Shikamaru gets here fast! I don't stand much chance against him alone.'

She gathered herself just in time to see Jiro launch himself at the enemy, crying: "You're gonna pay for humiliating me!"

"JIRO! NO!" Sakura screamed.

The Rain shinobi effortlessly avoided the kid's attack and promptly slammed him to the ground, before telling him: "Heh! You're useless. Now stay here and watch as I slaughter your team-mates. Starting with that bitch over there!" he said pointing at Sakura, "I'm having some fun, now!"

With great speed, the man placed himself in front of Sakura, who had yet to get on her feet. 'Damn it! I underestimated him! How careless!" she berated herself, trying to get up.

"Now stay still!" the ninja said before rising his huge sword. He made a swinging motion, and Sakura got ready to meet with Kami.

"That's not very nice..." a voice said.

Sakura opened her eyes. The ninja was still in front of her and on the top of his shoulders was a man, looking down on both of them, grabbing the Rain smuggler's arm. The man had a long white cape, of a material she couldn't identify, and wore a carnival mask which closely resembled a fox. His voice had a familiar ringing to it, and almost brought a shiver down her spine. "You should have listened to her advice!" he said to a shaken Jiro.

"What the?..." was all the Rain ninja could say before Sakura's foot dug into his belly, throwing him into the front of a ship. The other man jumped smoothly to avoid suffering from the effects of the trust his base received, landing next to her.

"You all right?" he asked, reaching out with his hand and helping her to get to her feet.

"Yes, thank you. He got me off guard. I'll take care of it, don't worry!" she said.

"That's all very right, but I cannot in good conscience let you fight him alone." the cloaked man answered.

Sakura was in a tight situation and wasn't about to object: "fine! Just make sure not to get in my way." She answered, "And don't get killed either!" she added as an after-thought.

The man laughed easily, "Sure thing!" The laughter really made her shiver, "So, what's the plan?"

"If you think you're good enough to keep him busy for a little while I ready myself to cast a Genjutsu on him, please do so." Sakura said, getting into stance. "If not, we'll have to come up with something better..." she looked at him questioningly.

The cloaked man surveyed the enemy ninja, while he got up.

"No, the first idea is quite alright for me." he said before launching himself at their enemy, "Going now..."

Sakura actually started to concentrate and mould chakra for the Jutsu, before she had her attention completely drawn into the fight before her eyes.

Whoever that masked guy was, he sure knew how to fight. His movements carried a fluidity that she had never seen. Not even Lee could have done it that well. He moved from stance to stance as if he was predicting the next move before it happened. It wasn't a matter of speed, as she knew happened with the users of the Sharingan Dojutsu. It scratched the very borders of prediction.

"OI! You planning on taking much longer?" the masked man asked her.

"NO! I'M ALMOST DONE!" Sakura answered, a little embarrassed at her slip, "This is a variation of the Fake Sleep Spell Gaara used to make. Fake Sleep Field!" She said as she finished the hand-seals.

Naruto watched, interested, as a wave of almost solid chakra spread from the point Sakura was standing, like an enlarging balloon, and engulfed them all. The ninja he had been fighting wobbled and fell to the ground, asleep. He himself started to feel sleepy, as the Jutsu made its job, before Kyuubi disrupted the effects and nullified them.

'Thanks, Kyuu-chan!' he thanked her.

'Yeah, well, Just make sure you handle this well, ok? Don't forget that you've more than likely been dead to them!" she reminded him.

Sakura stared at the man in the white cape for a few seconds, before making her way to the fallen rogue ninja. She had been expecting him to fall asleep too, which would make easier the rather unpleasant job of inspecting and identifying the very person who had just helped her. But, somehow, he had managed to stay awake. That alone pointed her towards the ninja training the man had had to have, let alone how he managed to fare against a Jounin-level shinobi.

"Alright! Identify yourself!" She said after securing the rogue.

The cloaked guy just raised his eyebrows and asked,

"Is that how you treat someone who has just helped you?"

"I'm very sorry, but my job here is to make sure that no one passes beyond the port without proper authorizations and identification. I must insist on you naming yourself and uncover your face!" Sakura answered with a firm tone.

"Geez, what was that old hag thinking when she assigned you a team? Now the kids will all have your bad attitude..."

Those words stopped Sakura dead on her mental tracks. Old hag? Team assignments? How did he knew of the inner dealings of Konoha? And even better: she only knew of one person to call Tsunade Old Hag and survive.

"Who are you?" she growled dangerously, placing a kunai in a intimidating stance.

"What's going on?" asked a voice Sakura recognized.

"Shikamaru!" she exclaimed with relief, "This guy here helped me dealing with the rogue, but refuses to identify himself. He also said some _very_ strange things!"

"Well... you really didn't give me much a chance to explain myself..." the white cloaked man said.

"Identify yourself!" Sakura pressed, starting to loose patience. She knew she wasn't being very ethic or cooperative, and she wasn't putting up a good act in front of Shikamaru's students, but right now that didn't matter. The man's words still rang in her ears.

"Troublesome..." she heard Shikamaru mutter, "Please do so, so we can all go on with our lives, ok?" he asked the man.

"Fine! Just don't blame me if you get an heart attack!" the man answered reaching for the mask and withdrawing the hood from his head, while turning to the lazy ninja.

"What? You can't be that ugl-IMPOSSIBLE!" Shikamaru's joke was cut short by his own surprised exclamation.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, curious, "Let me see your face!" She demanded to the back of the cloaked guy.

"Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru cried, "I can't let you do that. Sakura please gather my students and take them to our quarters."

"What? What the hell are you trying to do? Listen I found this guy, I want to know who he is. Are you trying to avoid that, Shikamaru? Why?" Sakura took a few steps around the man before he turned his back to her again. Looking at her companion, she saw him taking the positions for the Shadow copy to force the cloaked guy doing the same movement, "Shikamaru!" She growled dangerously, "Stop this at once!"

What followed was a sort of comical dance, with Sakura orbiting the masked man and Shikamaru avoiding her seeing his face at all costs. Finally losing patience, Sakura settled just for aiming a punch at the man.

The effects were immediate. The cloaked guy went flying backwards, breaking free of the bind, and Shikamaru fell to the ground, dazed.

Without loosing the opportunity, Sakura ran and jumped, landing on the top of the cloaked guy. She sat on his chest, a move that served two purposes: most male ninja felt a little disturbed at having women on their laps, even if they concealed it quite well. At the same time, she cut off most of the chances he had to brake free.

The young woman rose her arm and placed a kunai ready for attack. At the same time she looked at the face of the man. And saw the reflection of her haunted face staring back at her on those shining blue orbs.

Her hand shook and the kunai fell to the ground. With a jerk, she was up again and started to take slow steps back, never taking her eyes from the face of the man, as he got up.

"Naruto?"


	11. A discussion in Snow

**Chapter 11: A discussion in Snow**

Her hand shook and the kunai fell to the ground. With a jerk, she was up again and started to take slow steps back, never taking her eyes from the face of the man, as he got up.

"Naruto?"

Naruto got back to his feet and looked at her, saying: "Hiya, Sakura-chan!"

The eyes of Sakura searched every inch of Naruto's face, looking like they wanted to take in every detail. Finally, she put her hand in front of her mouth and her head hung down. There were some muffled noises which the young man didn't understand. Then, slowly, Sakura reached for her pouch and took out a rather odd pair of gloves.

Each of the gloves had reinforced fingers, with articulated metal, undoubtedly so that the attacks delivered from them would be much more powerful. Naruto wondered why she hadn't taken them out sooner but, at the same time, tensed because whatever was coming from that point on wouldn't be very pleasant, if his memories of the girl before him were worth anything.

"You... You really are Naruto?" Sakura asked. Her voice was slightly different: more forceful and, to some point, menacing too.

"Yeah..." Naruto answered cautiously.

"Well... only one way to know, RIGHT?" Sakura's head lifted up to reveal a huge grin that only made Naruto feel more uneasy. The expression the pink haired ninja was sporting was one slightly demented, as if she wasn't exactly in control of her full mental capabilities.

Without a warning, she disappeared from his sight.

'She's coming from the right!' Kyuubi warned him suddenly.

'I know!' he sent the answer through the mental link they shared since the contract ritual. Naruto dodged the incoming blow. Whatever was happening to Sakura, it made her a much more dangerous fighter, 'she's much faster than before; I had almost as much troubling predicting the attack as I use to have with you!' he commented.

Naruto avoided a new swarm of punches and jumped away from the woman. Sakura stopped and cracked her gloves against each other. It was then Naruto noted that her face seemed slightly different. The eyes were half-closed and seemed somewhat odd: light didn't get reflected on them. The smirk was still there, a confident smirk that seemed almost evil, although in an angered, revengeful way. And in her forehead was what seemed almost like a kanji. Naruto observed closer. It said: "Inner"

Most of times, Naruto would just accept the beating from his team-mate and get the issue over with. But after dodging a punch that almost broke the port in two different structures, he decided to start taking the problem more seriously. Sakura could hurt someone... or herself. And he would be damned if he let it get to that.

By mutual agreement, of both Naruto and the Vixen Goddess, the foxy, silvery mask adjusted itself once again on the young shinobi's face with an almost metallic clunk. At the same time, the hood slipped up his head, as the cloak arranged around Naruto's body to form a long trench coat, protecting as much of his body as it could, without hindering his movements. With no sign of the earlier amusement, his face seriously concentrated, Naruto prepared himself for what was to come.

When Sakura propelled herself in order to deliver another crushing punch, Naruto lifted his left leg, bent himself forward, forming a square angle with his right leg and his spine. The girl's hand passed above his head and she gasped, as Naruto delivered an attack of his own, on her stomach.

Sakura spun and brought one of her legs up, no doubt trying to catch him with a downward trust of the said member. Naruto brought his right hand down and did a flip, ending behind his former team-mate, and delivered a full blow with both hands against her back. Sakura flew a few meters but managed to land upright. The fight progressed on this fashion for some time, with Naruto avoiding as much damage as he could, although some times he would get caught by her. Kyuubi would absorb much of the impact but even with her help the attacks still did their job. For his part, he tried to deliver as many incapacitating blows as he could.

'Something is off about her movements...' he heard Kyuubi comment.

'What do you mean?'

'Look closely: she has a dangerous look but just before she attacks I see great anguish on her eyes, and she hesitates before delivering the blow!' she explained.

Naruto observed as instructed and answered: 'I cannot see that anguish you're talking about, but I believe you might be right about the hesitation part.'

'How can you not see the anguish, it's pretty obvious if you ask me...'

'I'm afraid I'm not very good when it comes to emotions. Specially other people's emotions. I've got enough problems interpreting my own, let alone a foreign one.' The long period of time on the Order's library had had a pretty good effect on Naruto's vocabulary, Kyuubi couldn't help but notice.

'That kanji on Sakura-chan's forehead... Do you know anything about it?' Naruto asked Kyuubi.

'I wouldn't know...' she answered, 'Although, if I had to guess, I'd say the kanji stands for some alternate personality or something. A sort of bloodline, maybe contracted from Ichibi...'

'What? The raccoon Gaara had inside him?' Naruto asked in awe.

'Yeah! Trust me, when it comes to messed up minds, that's with Shukaku.'

'So what can I do?' he inquired.

'Well, the main problem seems to be her accepting your identity, so if you could do something that would, somehow convince, or make her want to believe you're really you, it would surely be enough... You might want to notice that the slight hesitation is undoubtedly a sign that the Primary mind is already very reluctant to engage you.' Kyuubi pointed out.

After a particularly vicious attack from Naruto's part, Sakura started to find increasingly difficult to maintain a proper chain of movements and would sometimes loose balance when moving away or trying to recover from an attack.

Naruto saw his opportunity: at his request, Kyuubi extended part of the coat and grabbed one of her feet, rendering Sakura unbalanced. The girl seemed to struggle for a while, before starting to fall down, exhausted. 'She's probably depleted from using the bloodline. I'd wager she's not used to it, or can't control it very well, so I'd use this to our advantage now...' Kyuubi observed, 'put her unconscious or something.'

Without answering, Naruto dashed forward and caught the exhausted Sakura before she it the floor. The pink haired ninja looked at him while he took the mask and hood of.

"I won!" he told her, smiling.

"Tch... guess I lost!" she answered in a rasp voice, before adding: "I'm glad you're still alive." She seemed like she wanted to say something more but the kanji suddenly disappeared. Sakura paled considerably and fell asleep, on his arms.

'Well... I guess you're method worked just as well...' Kyuubi growled.

* * *

Naruto watched the sun rise from the window he was sitting next to, while keeping watch on the sleeping Sakura. She had been unconscious for almost three days. Naruto would have started worrying a lot more than he already was if it hadn't been for Shikamaru's explanation of how Sakura hadn't been sleeping too well for the past months. Although why she hadn't been sleeping was something he didn't say.

"That's something I have no right to tell." he had said, "You ask her when she wakes up. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you for sure."

Shikamaru had been a little hard to convince he wasn't an enemy and Naruto had to submit himself to all type of dispelling Jutsu for the lazy ninja to be at least partially convinced he wasn't some other person in disguise. When inquired, Naruto promised he would explain everything as soon as Sakura was up for the listening.

"It's something she, as my close friend and team-mate, as the right to know. If not before everyone, then at least at the same time you do." he answered. The heartfelt comment seemed to convince Shikamaru's of his good intentions, and now Naruto was alone with Sakura, while he lead his team on another much dreaded (for the students and teacher alike) D-ranked mission.

Naruto heard a shifting sound and turned, just in time to see Sakura waking up, looking at him, and gingerly asking, in a faint voice: "Am I still dreaming? All my other dreams have been horrible..."

"Sakura-chan!..." Naruto said just as softly, kneeling beside her bed.

"Naruto. How? I'm sure I saw you die! I saw your body disappear. A-At first I thought it was a Jutsu from the Fox to save you, b-but Jiraya-sama... Jiraya-sama... h-he said you had entered something called the Lifestream, a-and that you w-were definitely d-d-dead and... and..." During her ranting, Sakura's lower lip had become increasingly unstable, trembling, and she finally found herself unable to continue as the hiccups took her over, and she started crying.

Naruto hold her as she cried hard against his shoulder, her arms around his back like claws, as if to ensure he wouldn't disappear or go away.

"A lot happened since that day, Sakura-chan." Naruto started, after her crying calmed down, and she got silent, "It's an amazing tale and I'll be sure to tell you all about it. But first..." he said as he broke the embrace and got up, "You got to fortify yourself. It's time to eat! I would suggest ramen, but Princess Fuun seems to abhor it at breakfast, so I suppose I'll fetch something else." And with that tirade Naruto left the room.

* * *

Walking along the corridors that seemed to proliferate on Snow Castle, Naruto couldn't help but remember how he had re-encountered Princess Fuun after so much time. She was obviously older but, nevertheless, the ageing didn't seem to make her less beautiful. If anything, it only served to exacerbate her air of fairness and nobility.

Of course she had to keep cool in front of the ministers but, as soon as they left, her behaviour assumed a much more relaxed pattern and she fell into the sister-like treatment she always seemed to use whenever he was concerned.

They had traded some greetings and made a few small talk, in order to get the conversation moving. Princess Fuun seemed to be unsure whether she was authorized to ask about where he had been so she seemed to settle on remarking how changed he was. But it wasn't until one particular comment that Naruto realised how much of what she was saying was true.

"You have definitely got much more manly than I remembered you!" Fuun observed, "Why, you even have beard now!"

Naruto blinked, "Beard?" he asked passing a hand along his face. It was true. He didn't know how he hadn't notice it before but there it was indeed.

The Princess seemed to find the fact that he hadn't notice it before a very amusing thing.

Of course, even worse was to ask Shikamaru for advice on the topic of shaving. Still, after the other boy succeeded in stopping looking at him goggle eyed, he agreed on helping him. What followed was a sort of field battle between Naruto and the Razor, along with a lot of initial awkwardness.

"Let the razor follow the lines of your jaw, and make sure you stretch the skin, or else you're gonna get cut very frequently. It's a pain in the ass, really, since cuts on the face seem to take a ridiculously long amount of time to stop bleeding..." Shikamaru said.

"Ouch!"

"See; I TOLD you to be careful!" the other ninja remarked, "Now you'll have to put a paper on the wound to stop the blood."

"Nope! Don't need it, already stopped!"

"What?"

Of course Shikamaru didn't know of Kyuubi or her ability to heal his wounds.

* * *

Being shaved only made even more obvious how much of a change he had suffered. The line of his jaw no longer had rounded curves and instead was drawn in sharp lines, any trace of baby fat gone, probably due to all the exercise he had made to get back home. And Princess Fuun never missed an opportunity to tease him.

And then the time came when Sakura got strong enough to walk around without bumping against the walls from exhaustion. She was not recovered, as months of sleep deprivation couldn't be compensated by just a few days of rest. However, she was well enough to do her shores as a ninja; much better, in fact, than she had been for a good while.

And then came the time Naruto had been dreading, even though he wouldn't really admit it.

"Naruto, we were wondering if you could tell us how you managed to... to come back..." Sakura started, tentatively.

Naruto released a deep sigh and felt Kyuubi mutter some words of encouragement to him. 'Don't be so carefree, Kyuu-chan: You're being introduced too, you know.' he told her mentally, effectively succeeding in getting a new team-mate on the mission of fretting.

"I suppose you guys deserve some kind of explanation, don't you?" he asked rhetorically, rising is head to meet their eyes.

He got up from the ground, where he had been meditating, and asked: "Do you guys know some place we can go and be absolutely certain not to be overheard?"

Sakura was about to answer when the voice of Princess Fuun interrupted her: "Well, wherever you choose to go don't choose the castle. Anyone can hear a conversation here and you guys will never know it. If I can suggest a spot," she continued, appearing at their room's door, "I would choose the Solar Panels Reactor's plane. You know," she continued winking at Naruto and Sakura, "the one where you saved me and the country. Nobody goes up there without my express authorization. It's difficult for a civilian but you ninja shouldn't have a problem..."

No one could think of a better spot, not even Shikamaru so, after thanking Fuun and making sure Shikamaru's students were occupied for the following hours, they set for their destination.

Naruto was silent during all the way, thinking about how to explain what happened to his friends. Sakura and Shikamaru made no comment either as they jumped from tree to tree and, when the small forest ended, from rock to rock, up the cliffs, until the Solar Panel's platform.

There they settled down next to the cliffs. They had a pretty good vision of the whole city from there, and Snow Castle was shinning brightly on the afternoon's sun. Originally a land covered in Snow every day of the year, Snow Country now had two main season's a year: one in which the panels were activated, resulting in something like a six months long spring time, and another in which the panels were offline, thus allowing the Land's original weather to return.

Naruto looked to the city for a while, feeling the soft whispering of the wind on his hair.

"Soo..." Sakura started.

Naruto nodded, taking himself out of his reverie and looked at the two of them.

"Right! This story of mine will need some flashback, so we better get started. I ask you not to interrupt me until I've finished. Then you can kill myself with questions if you want." he smiled at the disturbed face Sakura made.

"There once appeared a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. One swing of one of its mighty tails would bring down mountains and cause tsunami." He felt, more than he saw, Sakura's shift, when she realised what he was getting at. Shikamaru remained quiet, with his eyes closed to avoid distractions from the story, "To fight the Demon, people assembled the Shinobi. One brave shinobi was able to kill the demon, but lost his life. The name of that shinobi was The Fourth Hokage."

"and this is where my story begins, after the Fourth performed the Jutsu that would latter be famed as the destroyer of Kyuubi no Kitsune... Except it didn't kill the Demon." He paused, "What I am about to tell you, Shikamaru, is considered a SS-ranked secret of the Leaf village, and if anyone talks about it besides myself, that someone is condemned to execution."

Shikamaru's eyebrows frowned and he opened his eyes, but restrained himself from asking questions.

"The Jutsu the Yondaime performed couldn't destroy a being as powerful as the Kyuubi so, instead he sealed it into a newborn infant. That's right!" he confirmed, answering to Shikamaru's unasked inquiry, "I was the jailer of the Nine Tails. I had to tell you this so that you understand what comes next: we now make a jump in time, fourteen years forward, and into my fight against Sasuke, on Orochimaru's lair. There, I allowed him to rip my heart from my chest, under the promise of him returning to Konoha and for him to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan. Judging for your reactions, he didn't keep the promise." Sakura shook her head, confirming his suspicions, "NOW comes the beginning of my great journey!"

And for the next hours he recounted everything that had happened, without omitting a single fact to them. He could see surprise in their eyes, even, to his confusion, admiration. When he finished, Sakura's eyes were watery, and Shikamaru had assumed his thinking pose. Naruto knew he was processing all the information he had just received.

"Ok! I'm opened to questions!" he said, stoically.

"Man... that story about the Uchiha being responsible for the downfall of the Goddess and the Birth of the Demon gives me the creeps." Shikamaru commented, "Every clan knows about the connection between the Avatars and Bloodlines, but that is not information to be waved around in front of others faces." he said in response to Naruto's surprised face, "Otherwise, everyone would know how to create a bloodline, and we would loose the advantages our clans have."

"But you said the Goddess recovered her tails, right Naruto?" Sakura asked. The concept of Bloodlines was still knew to her, and she hadn't tried to get information on the topic since her fight with her mother. "and you performed a contract with her, which gave you a bloodline yourself! What is that?" she asked curious.

Naruto gave her the broadest smile he could manage.

For a few moments nothing happened. But then she realised how small Shikamaru and Naruto seemed to be getting. She looked down and let out a gasp of surprise, realising she was now floating mid air.

"My bloodline opens a door to a new power surrounding us, that no one else can grasp." Naruto explained, putting her down, "I call it The Flow. It seems some sort of energy field, as far as me and Kyuubi could understand, and seems to be created by all living things. It responds to emotions and thoughts, we could say it's the very mind of living beings incarnate!... Hmm," he made, "that sounded quite profound. I can control it to some extend to aid me on some shores. I can't tell you exactly what it can do because, honestly, I don't know yet!"

Shikamaru nodded, thinking. "What about the Goddess? What happened to her? Is she free once again?"

Naruto just got up and extended his left arm. Nothing happened. Then Sakura and Shikamaru heard him say amusedly: "Oh, come on! Don't come with that embarrassed talk or shyness excuse. Out with you!"

The Cloak he always wore liquefied and the mask metamorphosed into a girls face, roughly their age. The body formed just behind Naruto's hand. And then, In Front of their impressed faces, Kyuubi materialised as Naruto said, with a theatrical demeanour: "Ladies and Gentleman, the Vixen Goddess Kyuu-chan!"

Shikamaru blinked.

"T-The cloak was the Goddess?" he asked.

"Yeah, It's an exclusive technique, from what I understood of her explanation. Only the two of us can make it, right Kyuu-chan?"

"That's right..."

Her voice was nothing like Shikamaru and Sakura were expecting. It was the voice of a normal human, no overwhelming power, no menacing feelings.

"I'm Kyuubi, nice to meet ya!..." she said waving her tails.

Sakura was the first to recover.

"Is your name really Kyuubi?"

"Well, of course not, but my real name would be far too complicated to express on your language." she answered, "Which is why I told Naruto to keep calling me Kyuubi."

"I would have never thought Kyuubi was a girl..." Shikamaru commented, distracted.

"Careful, Shikamaru." Naruto advised, "Last time I brought up the topic of genders I had to listen to her rating about how females were much better than males and how we boys are incomplete and unbalanced and the like..."

As he had been expecting, Kyuubi immediately jumped to the fight.

"Of course you are! We just have to focus on the fact that when I became incomplete I became male! I think that's enough of a proof. Besides, everyone knows that guys just don't work right until we knock some sense into them!"

"I got to admit, I agree with her..." Sakura said.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru said.

Naruto just laughed and sat down. Then he said: "Good. Now that the ice is broken, perhaps we can return to our discussions, hm?"

"Actually, I have a question regarding Kyuubi..." Sakura started.

Kyuubi turned her head to her and lifted her ears, which caused Naruto to smirk slightly.

"Why did you transform into a cloak every time you get into villages? Why not use Genjutsu to modify your appearance? I'm sure that, for one with as much chakra as you, the illusion wouldn't be hard to maintain, and you could even perform one strong enough to resist all but the most powerful dispelling techniques..." Sakura said.

Both of them stayed silent for a little while before Naruto answered: "Well, you see Sakura-chan... I'm not very good with Genjutsu..."

"What about you?" she asked Kyuubi.

The vixen girl hesitated a little before explaining: "I'm pretty much incapable of doing any kind of Genjutsu. You could say it is my primary weakness."

Sakura huffed a little, before stating: "That won't do! You guys can't go around like that all the time. It will be suspicious, using what obviously is a technique all the time, especially in Ninja villages."

"Sakura's right." Shikamaru agreed, "If you keep doing it, people will start to find you suspicious, and being who you are and whit your history I think that's the last thing you need on Konoha, Naruto."

Naruto fell silent, troubled.

"I know!" Sakura exclaimed, "What if I give Kyuubi some advice on Genjutsu? I can even develop one and then she just has to maintain it!"

"Is that even possible?" Shikamaru asked.

"It would be just like casting a Genjutsu on her. But we'll have to work out a way for her to maintain it on herself. Maybe I can alter it so that the power supply actually comes from the one it is cast upon..." she mumbled.

"Really? That's great Sakura-chan! Thank you so much!" Naruto said. Kyuubi didn't say anything, but looked surprised at the other girl, "Well, if everything alright between us, perhaps we can head back now?"

"Actually, there are a few thing you need to know, Naruto..." Shikamaru started, eyeing him carefully.

"What is it?"

"Not everything is right, back home. There is some sort of power struggle going on and Tsunade-sama as lost all the power in decision making. I think it is best you take that in consideration when you report yourself back..." Shikamaru said.

"What do you mean, lost power?"

"Most of decisions are now made by the council and some spec ops organization which they call 'Root'. And you know the villagers don't see you with very good eyes..."

"Actually..." Sakura interrupted, "That may not be so true."

"What do you mean, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked, frowning.

"A lot of villagers had been changing their attitude towards Naruto, back then." She said. Naruto figured she was talking about the time before the disastrous rescue attempt on Sasuke, "That change got even more accentuated after his trip with Jiraya-sama. Some people were actually gossiping on how good and reliable ninja he was becoming. Besides... I think you're forgetting most of the heads of the clans on the council are now the guys who graduated with us. If we can get their support, Naruto will have no problem. No civilian will be able to break a clan agreement!"

"Yeah, the problem will be convincing them. Particularly the Hyuuga." Shikamaru said, "You know how Hinata is towards you, Sakura. If you or your mother voice agreement..."

"What do you mean?" Naruto said suddenly.

"It's nothing." Sakura said smiling nervously, "Just a small misunderstanding."

Naruto settled for quieting, remembering Shikamaru's words about Sakura's troubles. Maybe this had something to do with them. He would have to ask her about it in private.

Sakura and Shikamaru were still discussing some points about making Naruto's return believable, when the blonde suddenly looked towards the cliff. He squinted his eyes and, immediately, his hand extended to the side. Kyuubi returned quickly to her cloak form.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked quietly, getting into position.

"We're being tracked..." Naruto answered.

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked, shifting subtly into a more action-ready pose.

"My bloodline. The flow, remember? It answers to sentient movement." Naruto answered.

"You think is some companion of the ninja you two caught some days ago?" Shikamaru asked, reaching for the pouch.

Naruto laughed softly: "Actually, I think it's your students, Shikamaru... They're climbing the cliff, and being very careful about not being found."

"This is Jiro's doing, I'm just sure of it." Shikamaru sighed.

"You have to keep more control in them, Shikamaru!" Sakura scolded.

Sakura got up and quickly made her way to the edge of the cliff. Once there, she laid down and waited for the head of Jiro to appear.

"And what, pray tell me, are you kids doing here? Spying?" she asked menacingly, when the boy's head became visible from the ground line.

"Wha!" the boy let out a surprised scream and lost balance. Sakura quickly grabbed his belt to keep him from falling. A good measure, if the belt was to hold. The boy's team-mate's screamed as he passed by them, on the opposite direction they were going, falling towards the distant ground.

"JIRO!" Came the scream of both Shikamaru and Sakura.

"Kagema-" started Shikamaru, only to stop when Naruto came into his field of view and did the most idiotic thing he could have done: Launched himself running and jumped of the cliff, like a professional diver, reading himself to enter the water bellow. Except there was no water. Sakura watched in horror as her team-mate fell in the direction of the other boy, her mind refusing to accept that, just a few days of having him back, she was going to loose him again.

* * *

Naruto gained more speed, approaching the kid. Once he got near him he took a hold of the boy. Jiro seemed to register he was there, because he turned to him, grabbed him frantically and said: "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"YES!" Naruto answered with an overjoyed voice and a crazy smile on his face.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the boy screamed.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto accompanied him, until his scream broke into laughter and he made an U-turn, inversing the fall. With an impulse from the Flow, Naruto soared to the sky above, before making a somersault and landing on the platform he had been standing moments before.

* * *

Naruto put Jiro down and the boy promptly fell to his knees, before being submersed in a hug by his female companions. At least until Shikamaru managed to regain control of his body and grabbed him by the shirt, screaming angrily: "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" he asked, shaking the boy, "Are you crazy? You could have died! Not to mention you put the lives of your team-mates in danger! AND you disrespected a direct order, when you came here despite I forbidding you to do so! You will get a report for this, and will not be a good one. And consider yourself lucky I don't expel you from the team! I should make you return to the academy... It's obvious you're still too immature to understand what being a ninja means."

"Shikamaru..." Naruto said, sweat-dropping, "Maybe you shouldn't have told them we were coming here, in the first place. Besides, it is not as we were mature back then – I mean, look at me!"

"Naruto, you're hardly a good example on the grounds of proper behaviour." Shikamaru observed, more calmly.

Naruto just scratched the back of hi head, awkwardly.

"All right, team, let's get back. You'll have some punishment tomorrow for this." Shikamaru said, leading them back to the village.

Naruto turned to Sakura, who was getting up from the place she had fallen to.

"Let's go Sakura-ch-OOOF" his sentence was cut short by a punch in the stomach from Sakura. Then she grabbed him and told him: "Never! Never scare me like that again, do you hear?"


	12. Kyuubi's Anguish

**Chapter 12: Kyuubi's Anguish**

Sakura stopped, hesitating, in front of Naruto's room.

They had had a pleasant evening dinning with Princess Fuun, in which Naruto and the lot of them told Fuun and Shikamaru's students as much of a true story as they could – although a lot of aspects had to be changed: they hadn't even mentioned Kyuubi, for example. Still, Sakura was fairly confident that they had given the kids enough information to keep them from trying to spy again. At the same time, Princess Fuun deserved an explanation, and got it.

She rocked back and forth, hesitantly, not exactly knowing what the hell she was doing there. She raised her hand to knock at the door when a sudden thought stopped her just a millimetre away from the rosy wood. What if he was with Kyuubi? What, a stupid thought, Sakura thought. Of course he would be with the vixen, they were bound to each other. But what if they were having some sort of conversation she wasn't supposed to butt in? What if she would interrupt a private moment? Those trails of thought made her feel cold inside, although she couldn't quite figure out why. She receded a little, preparing herself to go back to her quarters. But then, a voice came through the door: "You can come in, Sakura-chan. It's not like I'm naked or something..." and a snicker.

'Busted!' Sakura thought. She kept forgetting about his new abilities.

Sakura released the breath she didn't know she had been holding and opened the door.

Sakura's head appeared sort of suddenly, from the small opening the door made.

"May I?" She asked.

"I already said yes, Sakura-chan. No need to hesitate!" Naruto answered.

Sakura entered the room and closed the door, quietly. Then, she turned around and found herself looking at the most surreal image she had ever seen.

Naruto was sitting on the bed, in a lotus stile, with her hands crisped on his knees, and his arms making a most sharp angle, as if he was trying to get up by applying force to the said knees. Droplets of sweat ran down his neck and exposed torso. The front of the torso was concealed in shadow, perhaps from the position he was in.

Kyuubi had assumed her human form again and was sitting in a very similar way to that of Naruto's. Except she was upside down, floating in the air.

All around them pieces of furniture floated lazily across the room.

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting! I'll be going now..." Sakura managed to blurt out before feeling a pull somewhere on her body and felt her feet living the ground.

"WHOAH!" She half-screamed in surprise, wiggling her arms and legs around, trying to balance herself.

"Don't squirm!" Kyuubi said, turning her red eyes towards her, "If you do you'll only make things harder for him."

Sakura stopped moving and looked at Naruto. His eyes were closed in deep concentration, and she could see one of his eyebrows twitching in effort. A vein throbbed on his neck.

Time crawled and Sakura was actually starting to enjoy the feeling of levitation when Kyuubi decided to spoil the fun, announcing that "that was it" for the day. Sakura felt herself being put on the ground and watched, as he same happened with Kyuubi. Then the furniture started moving around, returning to their proper places.

"By placing us, who are far heavier and large than the other objects on the ground first, it's easier for him to return everything to were it was." Kyuubi commented to her. Sakura was a bit startled. The Vixen Goddess had made no attempt to communicate whit her. Made no attempt to communicate at all with anyone besides Naruto ever since they had met. And now she was offering her explanations on what they were doing.

Sakura didn't know why, but there was a small feeling of hostility between her and Kyuubi. But it seemed the other girl was trying to ease things a bit, so maybe she should try the same.

"Uff!" Naruto sighed heavily as the last piece of furniture - his bedside lamp, which happened to be stuck on the wall by its cable and didn't flew to far away – landed where it was supposed to be. "Finally! Take a sit you two, come on!" Naruto invited, making room for them in the bed. He moved until his back was against the wall, and leaned towards it. He looked like he had just accompanied Lee on one of his running sprees around Konoha.

It was then Sakura realised that his torso hadn't been concealed in shadow but was actually darker. What seemed like a most impressive tribal tattoo with the shape of a fox muzzle began from the end of his navel. The ears almost got to the neck. Twelve bold, curved lines shaped the tails of what was, undoubtedly, the representation of the Twelve-Tails.

Naruto noticed her stare and said: "This is the proof of the contract between me and Kyuu-chan, Sakura-chan." he smiled, "Rather cool, huh?"

"Is..." Sakura hesitated, "Is it a seal?" She sat down next to him, while Kyuubi settled on the other side.

"No. It's a binding contract that connects the Avatar, or Bijuu, to the human and permits the contractor to access the Avatar's chakra. At the same time, his or her body undergoes a transformation, adopts the foreign chakra and develops what you call a bloodline, while absorbing the Bijuu's chakra as his or her own." Surprisingly the answer came from Kyuubi.

"Err... What she said." Naruto smiled at her, scratching his head.

Sakura didn't understand: "What's the difference between that and a seal?"

Kyuubi leaned to her and said, "The difference is that it is made willingly, unlike the seal witch hold no agreement from any of the involved parts. He can brake it whenever he wants."

"And you can't?"

Kyuubi blinked, for a while, and Naruto said: "Of course she can! Can't you?" he asked uncertain.

"Of course I can." Kyuubi agreed.

"So, Sakura-chan, what brings you here, to this corner of the world?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you" she said pointing at the vixen, "wanted to get started with those Genjutsu lessons. If it goes well, you could start wearing them here, for training..."

"Great! Then while you girls do that, I'll take a quick nap, if you don't mind!" Naruto promptly laid down and stared at the two of them.

"Right..." Sakura started, ignoring him and turning to Kyuubi, "Right! You'll need a very good chakra control to be able to do this. Since you have so much chakra, perhaps it is better to start with some control exercises first..."

"I have perfect chakra control." Kyuubi interrupted her.

"Oh... But I thought..." Sakura hesitated. Her attempts to start a good relation with the other girl wasn't going very well. "I mean, Naruto has huge chakra reserves and until he spent time on these exercises he could barely make a Bunshin..."

"Naruto hasn't been alive for thousands of years." Kyuubi's head tilted to the side in just one hint of amusement, "I thank you for your consideration, though."

"Oh... O.K.!" Sakura exclaimed, "So, let's begin!

The two of them promptly started basic illusion-creating exercises. Soon after they began, the training session became accompanied by the rhythmic snoring of Naruto. Sakura actually found it soothing.

* * *

The night was advanced, well on its way to dawn, when they finally saw fit to stop the Genjutsu training. Naruto was, at this time, now snoring without restraints and Sakura could swear she could feel the edge of the bed, where she was sitting, vibrating slightly with every snore he gave.

"Does he usually make this much noise sleeping?" She asked, somewhat bewildered, "How do you manage to rest at all with him by your side?"

"He only snores this much when he is specially tired. Or when he is sure he does not need to keep an eye out for enemies. Today was a very trying day for him, with the levitation, the saving of that lazy one's student, and the telling of his story to you guys..." Sakura couldn't quite figure out what that had to do with all the rest and was about to voice it when the Vixen Goddess turned from the window where she had been sitting, feeling the gentle night breeze on her face, and faced her, opening her eyes slightly for effect: "Not all efforts are physical ones."

In the darkness, Sakura couldn't make much out of her silhouette. Not even her red slit eyes. Which wasn't surprising. Her training as a medic ninja had at least supplied her with enough information about the human body. Her eyes wouldn't see colour at all, since they could only perceive blues and greens in the darkness. Red wouldn't stand out without a source of light.

"Is it really true?" She asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"What?" Kyuubi asked, apparently at lost as to what subject the other girl was addressing.

"The Contract." She clarified, "You can't really break it, can you?"

The white haired girl turned around once again to face the outside world, across the window. Sakura saw as her ears dropped a little, before she answered, "No."

Sakura checked carefully to see if Naruto was truly asleep, before asking the next question: "Why did you lie to him?"

The vixen girl spoke in a constrained, hollow voice: "Because the only way for a Bijuu to become once again free of the contract... is when the contractor passes away."

"I-I see..." Sakura hesitated.

"No. I don't believe you do." the other said, turning to her with a carefully inexpressive face, "I don't think you understand at all what it is that it means for us."

"Oh? Maybe you should try me." Sakura challenged, her temper starting to get the better of her. She was getting tired of Kyuubi's supposed superiority. "I can't understand what? It sure must be hard for you to lead an easy life, without a care, while your container struggles for survival! And the only thing you do is taunt him, and mock him, and making his life a living hell! Sure that must be hard- gh!" Sakura never got to finish the sentence, as she found herself against the wall, with the fingers of Kyuubi around her neck.

"Don't even dare finishing that sentence!" she spoke, in a dangerously low hiss, "I was not myself in the past, but I will kill the one responsible for it! And stop talking about 'easy life'. You have no idea of the suffering it is to be like this." She released her and backed away, back to her spot on the window. Sakura rubbed her neck. She was having some difficulty breathing; Kyuubi was unexpectedly strong.

"We have no body without a contractor." Sakura gave a little jump at the vixen's voice, "We feel nothing. Not the wind on our skin, nor the ground around our paws. We only feel pain. And hunger. An uncontrollable hunger for contact.

We bond with humans because it is the only way for us to lead a life, in the true sense of the word. You may have an happy life right now, leading your little ninja affairs, and bothering with nothing but what to dress in the next morning. You should try to live for thousands of years without any sort of contact from another person." She said turning to her with a gleam of... madness on her eyes, "Without the touch of a male on your skin..." Kyuubi's voice went down until it was nothing but a purr, before she gathered herself again, "We bonded to feel again, like any normal human would... And to try and ease the Lust that consumes us! - Don't make that face!" She snapped at Sakura's expression, "You may not feel it yet, because it's not been too long. You're only 17 at most, right now! Try and reach the thirties without sex, and well see how good you fare then! And then multiply it for hundreds of times for a pale imitation of what we feel. Of what I feel!

Yes! We bonded for sex! For physical lust. It didn't matter, as long as the ninja had good looks. That is why only males bond with female Bijuu and women with male ones. And it was ultimately my downfall! I couldn't help it. He was handsome. Attractive. My need blinded me, kept me from correctly assessing his intentions. He flattered me, told me he felt love for me. That was something no one had ever told to me! You don't know what it is like! For the first years after the bonding, the human does everything to pleases us, practically lives for us. Adores us, even if just for the bloodline we give them. But inevitably those blissfully pleasant days come to an end. Because with all our power, we cannot give humans a family! And we are ultimately cast aside, gradually becoming less and less important as some other female takes our places!" Kyuubi looked now positively insane, pacing silently back and forth, speaking in low, fast, whispers, "And we are all but forgot. And then the day comes when the contractor ceases to exist, and Hell comes over again!" She quickly closed the distance between her and Sakura, grabbed the pink haired girl's arms and shook her frame slightly with each suffered word, "Do you see? Do you understand my pain? And he said he loved me! He offered me a position by his side, as his mate! I should have known he was just using me but I was blind. I lost my tails for that! And then Naruto got them back for me!" She let her go and strutted to the bed, hovering before Naruto's sleeping form.

"Look at him! Isn't he beautiful? So strong and handsome. So cute. So caring and loving! How lucky the one who gets him" She lowered her blushed face almost to the point of touching his. Sakura was petrified, watching the developments in a transfixed haze, mystified, "I wish I was the one! How I wish I was her! But I cannot!" She said, raising herself suddenly and angrily backing away from him, "I cannot! I can't even satisfy my lust! I can't bring myself to it! It feels like I'm using him and it disgusts me! I never felt this before, what's happening to me?" She sat on the window again, her back turned to Sakura. But she could swear she had heard a muffled sob.

"I-I..." Sakura tried to find something to say, but Kyuubi didn't even gave her a chance.

"Leave me alone! Let me be." Please allow me some dignity, were the unspoken words.

Sakura forced herself to move and made a motion for the doorknob, before being stopped by Kyuubi's voice once again: "What is Naruto to you?"

"I... I don't know..." She replied honestly.

"I might not have been myself, but I was able to 'see' everything that happened to him, the first fourteen years of his life. He might not say it, but Naruto really died, that day. And he died because of what you made him do, he died for you. If you ever hurt him again..." the remaining of the threat went unspoken.

Sakura nodded, more to herself than to anyone. She opened the door and exited the room, but not before saying one last thing to the vixen girl: "the same goes for you..."

* * *

Sakura undressed herself like an automate and made it to her bed in much the same state. What she had found about Kyuubi was still running around in her mind. She had no idea of what it was like to be a Bijuu.

At first, when the Vixen finally boarded the topic as to why they bonded, Sakura had feared she would take advantage of her team-mate. An unacknowledged part of her even feared she would take him away from her. But maybe she didn't have to worry about that.

Kyuubi obviously cared for Naruto. And she cared for him in a way that was clearly much more than just physical attraction or just survival instinct. And it was a strong enough feeling for her to almost feel repulsion at her own impulses.

Kyuubi was right. Sakura had never experienced anything close to what she had described but she had read medical books. And sexually induced stress was definitely a studied subject. It was no coincidence that there were so many... "stress-relieving" houses scattered across the ninja countries. Shinobi needed to "distract" themselves from time to time or else, the hormonal surges would induce a nervous discharge on the subject that would affect his or her behaviour during missions, often resulting in fatal distractions. Such cases where more often in males, mostly because the largest part of the Ninja population was male and women had usually no trouble finding a partner among their peers. It happened naturally. And when it didn't, clans would make sure it did all the same.

For Kyuubi to restrain her impulses out of fear of abusing him was a clear sign that Naruto was safe. At least for now.

Could it be that Kyuubi harboured feelings for her team-mate? She didn't seem to know it herself, but then again, the Vixen had said she had never had a romantic attachment to anyone before. It had all been physical. Such thought sent a cold feeling down her stomach and Sakura tried to force herself to think about other things.

Sleep did not come easily for her that night.

* * *

The next day was a day as awkward as Sakura had ever lived to experience. Kyuubi didn't direct her a single word at all and when their eyes inadvertently locked with each other, the both of them would look the other way almost immediately. Naruto, being his usual oblivious self, didn't seem to notice the building tension between the two of them, Kami bless his soul, Sakura thought.

She was forced to reconsider her opinion on his awareness, though, when, after dinner that day, he turned to both the Vixen and the pink haired kunoichi, after guiding them to his quarters, and said: "Look, I don't know what's wrong between the two of you, but I'll tell you this: I'll not have two friends of mine constantly avoiding each other in front of my face. So here's the deal: I'm gonna exit this room and I'm gonna have some late tea alone with Princess Fuun just as she requested. I will not return here for at least three hours. Until then, I trust you two will be able to figure yourselves out!" And left without giving them a chance to answer his remarks.

The two of them stood in almost polar opposite sides of the room, an uneasy silence settling between them, studiously avoiding each other's glare. Finally Kyuubi managed to break the silence.

"I... shouldn't have lost control yesterday night. I didn't mean to throttle you." And then with what seemed an Herculean effort, she added, "I'm sorry."

"It's O.K... I was probably being a bit of a bitch, actually..." Sakura said.

"Yes... you were."

"That was rhetorical!" Sakura snapped hotly, before realising that Kyuubi had now turned towards her and was sporting a teasing smirk on her face, even though still not at ease with the other girl's presence.

Sakura sighed.

"Look... All I wanted to know yesterday was why you hadn't told him about the contract. And when I said I thought I understood I was referring to you not telling him, not to your feelings about the contract."

"Ahh..." Kyuubi made a sound, "But I don't think you understand that either!"

"Of course I do!" Sakura said confidently, "For someone as powerful as yourself, it must be quite a blow to your pride not being able to get out of that situation alone. My master has some problems like that as well..." She immediately regretted saying that. She didn't know what it was but Sakura just seemed to have a knack for saying the wrong things to the Vixen. She hadn't even been trying to say what she had at all!

For a moment Kyuubi seemed to be struggling against anger once again, but then she seemed to calm herself.

"I knew you still didn't understand." She paused a little, eyeing her studiously, "Tell me: what do you think Naruto would have done, had I told him I'm not able to break the contract?"

"He would try to break it himself." Sakura answered immediately.

"But there is a catch to the deal. You see, in order to break the contract, the contractor must literally shred the Bijuu to pieces... by ripping it off its power." She paused. "I don't know the exact specifics of the process, even though I went through it so many times. Every time a new contract is made I forget everything about the previous. The reason I remember about Uchiha at all, was because of me being sealed inside Naruto when I was still under the effect of the treason" she spat the word, "The surge of power through the contractor seals the bloodline into his or her DNA and assures its transmission to the offspring. After that, the Bijuu disappears. To reform some time latter in another place. But I, as I am now, would die. I don't think Naruto would have wanted that. So that would leave him with the other option..."

"His death!" Sakura breathed.

"Yes... And he is not afraid of it, because he has already died once. And because he went through the Lifestream, he will one day return there, after passing away. But I digress. The gist of it is that, to free me, Naruto has to die."

"And he wouldn't think twice if that meant for a friend to be safe..." Sakura completed.

"Precisely." Kyuubi agreed, "So you see, I cannot tell him anything. And I trust you not to tell him too!"

* * *

It took Kyuubi exactly seven days to completely master the art of illusion. Such fact made Sakura more than a little bewildered, since it took her much more to be able to just catch the concept behind the theory, let alone be able to completely cover her body with an almost permanent Genjutsu.

Granted, it was a fairly simple one. All it had to do was to change the frontal appearance of her ears into hair-like, making it seem like they were simple bangs of hair tied together for effect. The just change the eyes so they weren't slit. Since she had white hair, the red colour of her eyes would be considered normal, even expectable.

Her tails suffered no Genjutsu at all. She just changed them to something that looked like what she was when in cloak form. Kyuubi looked now like she sported half a skirt, covering only her rear, like the tail of a swallow.

She had finally been able to wander around the streets without fear of being recognised. Despite herself, Sakura actually became warmer towards the other girl after seeing the mirth and joy she was feeling.

Naruto surprised them all by actually buying her some sort of uniform, white in color and not too much covering. He said he had based it on the clothing she had used in Berasylle.

He had been unusually strange, even for what Sakura remembered of the old Naruto, leaving the two of them alone, while he left to undisclosed places.

To Sakura's surprise, it was actually Kyuubi who first voiced her fears on the matter. They then both started to try to figure out where he was going, a feat that ultimately failed, since he always managed to loose them. Sakura had the suspicion Shikamaru knew what was going on, but the lazy ninja wouldn't open his mouth...

* * *

It was late in the evening that day, when Naruto returned to Fuun's castle. The sun had already gone down and stars were starting to appear, casting their twinkling light on Kyuubi's anxious face. He had never been gone for so long before and it was getting on her nerves. Despite saying to herself she was being stupid, the fear of rejection like the ones she had felt before kept growing inside her.

Kyuubi jumped from her favourite spot, by the window, at the sound of the door's room opening. A flash of yellow determined the intruder to be Naruto and nullified any need she might have felt of hiding out of sight. No one besides Fuun knew she was there, in the castle, and even the princess had no idea of her true nature.

"Oh... Kyu-chan... You're here..." he said, a little hesitantly, "I was hoping to find the room unoccupied."

Those words sent a cold feeling down Kyuubi's body. She had heard the exact same words from other contractors before. It was what they said when they spotted her while trying to bring another female in. She managed a shaky smile before saying uncertainly: "Oh, don't worry. I'll be gone right away... I... I don't want to intrude in any private relationship..."

Naruto made a confused face: "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kyuubi's startled face seemed to make him feel like she deserved an explanation, so he lamely explained: "Look, I was only trying to slip in here unnoticed so I could hide your gift where you usually sleep. So you would find it later." he sighed "I seem to have failed."

"G-Gift?" Kyuubi managed to choke out through the glimmer of hope that a started to shine.

"Well... yeah. Look: you told me in Berasylle, after the contract that it was customary for both parts to exchange gifts. I already have yours but I never got around giving you one. So I thought, now that you were occupied and had to train and all, I could use my time trying to get a good gift for you... Anyway, here it is."

Naruto gingerly produced a roughly wrapped package from his cloak and handed it to Kyuubi, which received it with nerveless fingers. She nervously unwrapped the cylindrical object revealing a beautiful armlet made of a crystalline material. It glowed at the newly rising moon light.

"It's beautiful! You made this?" she asked before sliding the armlet up her arm.

Naruto nodded: "I found a strange stone after seeing a falling star and took it to the towns blacksmith. I've been working on it since last week non-stop!" he said proudly.

"But, Naruto, Sky-Iron is very valuable! You could gain a lot by selling it! You shouldn't have wasted it on me..."

"The blacksmith said the same. But you're my important person, I place you in a much higher place than money!"

Kyuubi embraced him. She couldn't help it. Her last thought before she lost conscience in his arms was: 'How I envy the one who gets you!' A lone tear slid down her face.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. Something unexpected happened: Holidays, YEAH! Anyway, thanks for the reviews and sorry for the mistakes, as always. You guys rock!**


	13. Leaving

Chapter XIII

"Tsunade?..."

The sound had barely left the speaker's mouth and Tsunade already knew she would be facing Jiraya as soon as she turned towards the windows of the Hokage's Office.

"Hello Jiraya. This is a rather unexpected visit..." the voice of the Godaime Hokage was tired and defeated. Characteristics that most of the people who actually interacted with her knew to not be normal but had, somehow, become accustomed with it.

It appalled Jiraya how much the woman had changed; but then again Naruto's death had delivered everyone a hard blow. The Godaime had gradually lost all interest in the affairs of the village and was now little more than a figure for the folk and political affairs. Almost every decision was now made solely by the council alone, without consulting her. Still, theoretically it would still be possible for the Hokage to regain the importance the position had in the past, provided Tsunade would be willing to do such an effort. Her apprentice, Sakura, had fallen into a deep depression and had only recently started to hesitantly put herself back together... and he was no exception. He just hid it better. A lot better.

The Toad Sannin nodded slightly before saying: "I was just wondering whether you would be up to some walking... perhaps having a drink in a bar or something."

Tsunade was, if anything, perceptive. The pervert wanted to talk to her about something, something that couldn't be discussed safely inside the walls of the Hokage Tower.

"Alright."

A thin curtain of rain started to fall as both of them made their way to the most frequented bar Jiraya managed to find. Crowds made much more difficult for unwanted ears to listen to conversation.

The grim weather seemed to match the sour mood of the Hokage. She had been like that for most of the time since Naruto's death and everyone who worked with her made a point of avoiding her bad side.

They both sat down, taking their places next to a small table for two, by one of the building's windows. Jiraya let his mind wander for a while, listening to the monotonous compass of the falling droplets on the street nearby.

When the sake arrived he prepared himself for starting a conversation and was surprised by having such initiative being snatched from him by the Hokage.

"He would be sixteen if he were alive..."

"Yeah..." So Tsunade was in a mood to remember, huh?

"When I compare him to his parents... the resemblance is undeniable!" Tsunade commented, "He looked exactly like is father, every time I looked at him I was remembered of Minato."

"Namikaze Minato... Yondaime Hokage. Yes the resemblance is extraordinary. I felt like I was teaching Minato all over again when I was with him. I suppose that's one of the reasons I taught him the Rasengan." Jiraya agreed, "Minato had talent like I've never seen in no one before. Perhaps if he had been given the chance, Naruto would... but..." his voice trailed rather miserably.

"However, I'd say he behaved more like his mother, Uzumaki Kushina." The Godaime continued.

Jiraya chuckled: "Yeah: always running around like one of the boys, knocking heads and fists with everyone. And yet she became very beautiful with time. No wonder Minato fell for her."

They both sat in silence for a little more, hearing the rain. Finally Tsunade seemed to collect herself and focused her eyes on the Toad Sannin.

"So, I gather you didn't want to talk to me just for some lame recollections, right?"

Jiraya immediately changed to a serious demeanour and leaned forward before saying in a low voice, "I'm leaving Konoha."

Tsunade blinked. "What?"

"Not like that! I'm leaving for some time. A year, maybe more."

"Did something catch your attention?" she asked more out of interest than professionalism.

"A few rumours have reached my ears. I think Akatsuki may be getting more and more bold. I heard they entered the Jaw." Jiraya said as seriously as he could.

"The Jaw? On the Southern Continent?" Tsunade asked awestruck.

Jiraya nodded: "Yes. It didn't end very well, from what I heard. There was some sort of accident and one of the Mountains seemed to just erupt. No one ever heard of them again."

"That doesn´t mean they aren't alive... What could they possibly want from there?"

"I don't know, but I hope to find out. The government of Argentia declared the Jaw off-limits centuries ago, it's a place no one dares to even try to enter. You know many clans tried, before the formation of the Great Elemental Countries... Not a single one of those sent there returned. And now two Akatsuki appear in Argentia and a few days after the Jaw just erupts out of nothing. It's got to be related. I'm searching for some answers."

"Why? It's not like they have any interest in us, now that Naruto is... now that he's not here anymore..." Tsunade asked looking away through the window.

"It's true that now that Naruto's gone their interest in us as diminished... for the moment. However, if they succeed in capturing the remaining Jinchuuriki then no one will be able to stop their conquering rampage and that's something you, as the Hokage, should worry about!" he turned to her an locked his eyes with hers, "I'm going to be frank with you: I don't know what the hell got over your head over the past few months. I know Naruto's death hit you hard, it hit everybody hard, but somehow I doubt throwing away all your interest for the village is the best way to remember him. Naruto would be disappointed with you..."

He half-expected her to explode in rage. He had even started to mentally count down the seconds before he would pass out and wake in the hospital. What he didn't expect was for a smirk to ease Tsunade's features.

"I know that. That's why I've been trying to reverse the power balance for the last month. The council amassed quite an impressive amount but I've been meddling with them more and more, and I'm starting to get it back. It helps that the Ninja Clans back me out. The new heads were all friends with Naruto and don't like the less than amicable attitude they had for Naruto in the past. I've worked like hell, and I don't have a good night's sleep since... I don't even remember. So don't come talk to me about commitments and disappointments, you took much longer than I to spring back to action!" And she added a punch to his face, for good measure.

'So that's why she looked so tired!' Jiraya realised. "Well, at least you're punches are still the same." The Toad Sannin got up and grabbed his giant scroll. Putting it to his back he turned and exited the bar while waving with a hand and saying: "I'll be going. I'll say something if I find something interesting... I'll leave the tab to you."

"Why you!..." Tsunade started. But Jiraya was already gone.

A small breeze made its way through the windows of Naruto and Kyuubi's room. Naruto's breathing was steady and calm and he could hear the similar sounds of the Kitsune's movements on the bed next to his. It was night, perhaps even past midnight. He didn't know. They would be departing for Konohagakure in a few days; Sakura and Shikamaru's mission was coming to an end and soon a relief party would most surely arrive.

Naruto rubbed his eyes with his hands, feeling somewhat tired. Kyuubi had been helping him as much as she could, training in the use of his new bloodline. They had strained themselves to no end, perfecting what he could do to the point where nothing seemed to remain to be improved. But, ultimately, it was up to him to discover what he could or not do with his bloodline and Naruto knew better. Sometimes he wondered if bloodlines like the Byakugan or the Sharingan just didn't evolve into something more because their users had simply settled down and quit trying to improve them.

Speaking of which,

"Kyuu-chan?" he asked, unsure whether she was asleep or just keeping the silence to them. They enjoyed quiet times like those. Each others company was enough. He remembered sometimes sharing the same moments with Sakura, before the blasted mission that ruined all of their illusions for the future.

"Yes?" The reply told him she was awake and up to some talk.

"I've been wondering... You said you had given, willingly or not, the main bloodlines that reside in Konoha, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." She answered, somewhat curious as to where he wanted to get.

"Well, is it just coincidence that all of the bloodlines given by you seem to be Dojutsu?"

He heard her bed shift as she turned to him and adjusted herself so that she was lying on the side, looking at him, speaking in the smooth, feminine voice he had come to associate with her.

"No, it's no coincidence. Each of us specializes in different abilities." Naruto realised she was referring to the Bijuu in general.

"Oh! So you specialize in vision?"

"Not quite. You see, Shukaku, as I've already told you, as a knack for mind abilities. Your teammate's alternate personality proves that. I, on the other hand, specialize in the senses. I'm not the only one at that; the seven-tailed wolf is an adept at that too. It is true, nonetheless, that I find it easier to modify the eyes. It varies from Avatar to Avatar." Kyuubi explained.

"So, what exactly did you do with me? I've been trying to figure things out to actually know what the hell I can and cannot do, but without having an idea at what changed, I don't think I'll make much progress…"

He could feel her frown in the darkness, and the rather cute pout she made to herself as she thought.

"I don't know. I don't know how we produce bloodlines, I think we just force our chakra into the contractor and it goes on automatically. I can, however, have a good idea of what the bloodline does… usually… But with you it was different: the Lifestream interfered, changed the bloodline. In fact, I don't think it is a Dojutsu."

"I thought you said you specialized on those." Naruto frowned.

"I do. But you've told me you can see, feel the Flow even with your eyes closed, so I think this is different. It's as if those eyes are there just to show that you actually have this power… I'm sorry, I don't think I can be of much help here. You'll just have to find your limits by careful experimentation. Sorry…" she seemed really upset for not being able to help.

"It's alright, don't worry! We'll figure this out!" He said quickly. Naruto made a point of putting some emphasis on the we, so the Kitsune would get through that thick skull of hers that she was part of it.

He was no expert when it came to girls, but Naruto had spent years with the Vixen girl and he could read her even better than even he realized. Something in her condition has a Bijuu and a contracted bothered Kyuubi a lot, and she seemed to have the idea that she had to do everything to facilitate his life. He didn't see this with good eyes. He didn't want a maid, he wanted a friend. A free, as human as possible, friend. At least when it came down to behaviour.

Naruto took a deep breath before shifting so that he was facing her. He looked at her and smiled gently, before saying: "I think we better sleep. Today's training took a lot from me."

The girl on the bed across from him smiled in return and said: "Yeah. I'm tired too. Goodnight, Naruto."

"'Night, Kyuu-chan."

She remained awake until long after he drifted off to sleep, watching his dark frame.

Naruto was brought to his senses by an abrupt knock at his bedroom door. The sunlight coming in waves from the open window. He sat up just in time to see Kyuubi bolt out of the bed, half blind with sleep, and look around for inexistent danger. Smirking teasingly at her, he got up and reached for the door.

Sakura just couldn't help but smile at the sleepy face Naruto displayed through the small opening he produced. A part of her still awoke afraid to go search for him only to find out he had never been there to begin with. Stupid.

"Naruto." She said in the easy way of greeting she always seemed to have had with him. It wasn't until he had… disappeared, that Sakura really realized how close she had been getting to him. He was a friend, he still was. He hadn't abandoned her. And she was glad for it, "Princess Fuun wants to meet with us. She says she has a way of making your entrance into Konoha easier."

"Oh! Come on in then, we'll get changed real quick!" he answered, making room for her to pass through.

Sakura entered the room and immediately spotted Kyuubi, sleepily rubbing one eye, while trying to put back on the complicated attire Naruto bought for her and that she now seemed to use all the time. The Kitsune greeted her much more warmly than had been normal just a few weeks prior. But the talk both had had drawn them closer. Naruto was actually starting to think the two of them were starting to become friends.

That didn't mean she was comfortable with the girl sharing a room with Naruto…

Sakura sat on the Vixen's bed and waited for them to be done, while trying not to pay to much attention to Naruto's body as he jumped around the room only in boxers, fishing for the remnants of his clothes. His body was much different than she remembered; no doubt from all the training he did with Kyuubi and from the trip he had made. His hair was slightly longer, with small bangs on the sides of his face making him resembling someone she was not sure who was. His skin was now perpetually darker than it used to be. Sakura had an explanation for that. Since he seemed to have spent a considerable time walking around on the scorching heat of a desert even bigger than the one on Wind Country, it was normal his body had produced more melanin in order to better protect himself from the sun-rays. Somewhere in the past, due to the rigors of being ninja, the bodies of the people of the Elemental Countries "learned" to preserve the changes that protected them. Naruto's body would most likely keep that light brown tone to the rest of his life (A/N: If you are having trouble visualizing the color, it's no big deal, just thing of you after coming from the beach – I'm talking responsible sunbathing, people; No locusts in this story). And then there was the tattoo…

"Done!"

Sakura hadn't even realized she had been staring to the same point of the wall for some time. She hastily got up, and accompanied Naruto and Kyuubi out of the room.

They met with Princess Fuun at her breakfast table, where he, Sakura and Kyuubi were invited to join her. Naruto readily agreed, although Sakura tried without success to decline the invitation. She ended up eating a second, much livelier breakfast that morning: she had taken hers with Shikamaru and he was in a bit of an ill humor. She supposed it had to do with their impending relief from the mission. He always became a bit stressed where formal interactions were concerned. Now, though, Naruto babbled happily with Kyuubi and Princess Fuun, sometimes managing to throw Sakura into the conversation as well. It was comforting to know that, under all the changes he appeared to be going through, he still remained the same Naruto she used to remember. For those who deserved. Eventually they boarded the topic of their departure. At this, the princess' voice had assumed a somewhat formal and solemn note.

"I understand that the day of your relief is coming and that you will no longer remain here in Snow for much longer. Is that correct?" She asked no one in particular.

Sakura nodded. Naruto let her do the talk, since she was much better informed on the mission details than he was. "We are to be substituted in three days, approximately. Likely by another team of jounin sensei and his students. Once the word that your Academy is ready to begin working at full capacity, we will likely send a few Chuunin proctors too. That, however, may take a while. We have to reach Konoha, which will take three months at best, and we will then have to make the necessary preparations. Such things will take some time. The Princess may expect to hear from Konohagakure no Sato again in a time span no shorter than six months." Naruto was amazed at the formality and speech flexibility Sakura displayed. He supposed that training under a Hokage did that to people. He conveyed his opinions on Kyuubi who agreed back.

The Princess' eyes twinkled slightly as she conveyed her thanks to Sakura on behalf of her country. Then she turned to Naruto and said: "From the story you guys told me, I gather that they are not expecting to see you alive." Naruto nodded, "therefore, I may have a solution for your problem. You see" she said while she reached for a small bell and gave it a small jerk of her hand, producing a crystalline sound, "you are going to be my envoy to Konoha. Your mission will be reporting to the Hokage herself the progress made here. This way we inform that we are ready for the next phase and you get to get inside your village without major troubles. Just keep your face hidden, if you think you will be recognized, show these papers whenever they ask you for identification and you'll have no trouble. Don't lose them, though! And don't give them to anyone either!"

"I know, I know, I'll be careful with those documents."

A maid entered the room with a few papers on her hand and a fancy looking pen. Princess Fuun took them and started scribbling furiously. A few minutes later, she straightened up and smashed a seal into the papers. The she signed them and handed them to Naruto, smiling. "There! I hope this helps you. Besides your identification as Snow's envoy you will also find a report for your Hokage. Make sure you deliver them to her, O.K.?"

Naruto nodded again. A small bell was heard twice and Princess Fuun got up.

"I'd love to talk to you three some more, but my duties call. Good day to you guys!" She said informally, smiling. Then she left the room.

"Come on!" Said Sakura, "Let's find Shikamaru and his team."

Naruto hurriedly grabbed a few more snacks to keep him entertained and trailed after the two girls.

As it was, they found Shikamaru right outside the Castle, stopping hurriedly in their direction.

"Let's get in, quickly!" he said curtly, "don't ask."

Naruto and the girls immediately turned and slid to his side, in a position that screamed ninja training for every eye capable of seeing such things. It was designed so that they covered each other's backs, so to speak.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong?" Sakura asked when they finally stopped, in Shikamaru's room.

"Our relief is here."

"What?! Three days early?" Sakura asked, "They were supposed to arrive in three days, or more!"

"I know. I know. I just thought you ought to know. They are probably speaking with the Princess right now. They seemed suspicious of something. Apparently, some of the sailors started babbling about how the heroes of the country were here. As far as Konoha knows, only one is here, and I suspect they think the Uchiha might be the one. We'll have to play our cards well to get Naruto to come with us." Shikamaru sighed.

He was surprised and secretly annoyed when Naruto started smiling.

"So _that_'s why Princess Fuun had to leave breakfast earlier. She must have been called for a meeting. Fortunately," he said pulling the papers out of his pouch and handing them to Shikamaru, "She gave us the means to sneak me into the village!"

Shikamaru smiled while he read. "Brilliant! This might just do it."

**A/N.: Yeah... small chapter. Not my fault. Haven't had the best of free times lately. School stuff. That said... anyone want's to be a beta-reader for this? Send me some kind of... I don't know form, if it isn't too much of a bother, with your strenghs and weaknesses in being a beta. I would search the beta archives in Fanfiction Net but I would prefer someone who was actually reading this story.**

**As always, sorry for the possible mistakes and review. Kthxbai.  
**


	14. Of Old Friends

Chapter XIV

The white foam sometimes raised high enough to caress the windows of the swan-like ship as the vessel made its way across the thundering waves. The sky above was stormy dark, with the pressure characteristic of an impending storm. Such weather was considered normal among the sailors that made the trade line connecting Fire Country with Snow, but the abnormally strong rocking of the ship still left Sakura with at least a faint sense of unease. Leave it to their luck to get a storm just on their way home. And the weather had been so nice when they set sail too. It was days like this that she hated. It made her recollect the tragedy past with much more detail, every shadow seemed to creep out to grab her and ensnare her in a steely grasp, until _he_ would come for her. Just thinking about it still made her feel tainted, dirty, corrupted. And that day was also the day she had lost him. It was her fault Naruto – no! She would not go down that path again. He was back now. He didn't hold anything against her. But then why was it that it seemed so damn hard for her to forgive herself?

Sakura made her way across the deck, back into the superstructure where the remainder of the crew was sheltering against the storm. Heavy droplets of rain started to fall and she momentarily stopped to watch the rain, before opening the door into the shadowy corridor. There was nothing to do in a storm in the middle of the sea except to retract the sails and wait for the bad weather to pass. That was what the captain had explained to them.

Her eyes seemed to catch a flicker of movement behind her and Sakura tensed, before quickly turning to the source of disturbance, a kunai ready in her hand. Nothing. The ship rocked and its moaning seemed like mocking laughter to her ears. She was jumping at shadows again, even after she promised she wouldn't let it happen during a mission. But this mission had been dragging itself for months now, and her self-control had been slipping sometimes. Slowly but surely. Naruto's unexpected appearance and the confirmation that he was indeed real and, more importantly, alive, seemed to have bought her a few days of truce with her inner demons, but now the monsters on her head were coming back once again. If Tsunade-sama learnt that she was having trouble… Sakura knew she wouldn't hesitate in pulling her off of active duty. The Godaime had said as much when she had put her back on the job.

Of course the goddamn weather and the noises of the vessel weren´t doing any good in calming her nerves.

Sakura sighed and passed a hand through her hair. Making her way through the corridor she passed the crew dormitories, where the sailors slept and generally spent their rather scarce free-time together. From the noises they were making, they were almost surely placing bets on the outcome of the current game of luck, whatever that was. A quick look into the room confirmed her suspicions. They never closed the doors to the dormitories and where generally unabashed about their dressing state; having women on board was so rare they probably didn't even remember she was in the same boat as them. Of course none had ever dared to make a move towards any of the female ninja. No one was that crazy.

She passed past the door to the captain's room and made her way towards where she knew she would find their own quarters. Partially due to their plan and partially because that was what they usually did when on missions, all of them were staying in the same room. And although they didn't want any special treatment, it seemed Sakura held a little too much fame on Snow Country for the sailors and the captain to give them a simple spare room. So they had been issued an elite class room, in a boat reserved for V.I.P. Sakura wondered what would have happened if they discovered they were also carrying Naruto on the ship.

She knocked faintly and opened the door.

Naruto was sitting right in front of the door, next to the window that stood directly opposite the entrance to the small living room and gave a pretty nice view of the ocean, as the ship calmly drifted across it. On normal days. Today, it showed a demon made of water that seemed to revolt against their very presence. The rain and the wind slammed into the closed window and, occasionally, a thunderbolt crossed the sky. The hood from the white cap that princess Fuun had supplied him was drawn to his head. That was good because it hid his identity without him having to resort to Kyuubi's help, meaning the fox-girl was left free to wander around in her human form freely. Which, truth be told, she seemed to enjoy doing.

Shikamaru was laid on one of the couches scattered around the room. His students were nowhere to be seen. They were probably in their quarters at the moment. Kyuubi was sprawled in what, to Sakura, seemed to be a very awkward position: like a cat lazily stretched over the big rug next to the fireplace. Her body was curved in an S shape and her legs were placed so that nothing revealing was shown. Yet, all her behavior screamed sensuality at the observer in a way that was unconscious and came naturally to her. Sakura was secretly envious of such ability and wished she was able to do it as well. Not that she would ever admit it to the vixen. The fire cracked the logs as lazily as Kyuubi.

Sakura had been very curious has to how one could maintain a fire inside a wood vessel without any danger for the structure without any Jutsu to keep the fire in place. But then she remembered a book she had read before entering the Academy. There was a metal covering around the fireplace and the chimney so that the fire never contacted with wood. A thermally insulated material prevented the heat from causing the combustion of the wood.

Jiro and the girls had been very specifically instructed not to reveal any information concerning Naruto's identity, insinuating he had been on an extremely dangerous and top secret mission, described with big words and all, so that the boy in Shikamaru's team would be suitably impressed, and that they would be summarily sent back to the academy, with written reports on security breaching and information mishandling that would make it very difficult for them to ever get back to Genin status, if they ever revealed anything.

The kids were now afraid of even stepping close to the blond.

When he realized who she was, Naruto smiled and took the hood down his head, revealing his beaming face. Whenever someone appeared to be about to enter any place where he was, the blonde ninja would quickly put on the hood from Princess Fuun's cape, concealing his identity. This idea had been suggested by Princess Fuun herself, with the excuse that she didn't want her ambassador revealed and attacked. It also prevented anyone from recognizing the boy who should have been dead in the face of the now young man.

"Sakura-chan!" he greeted.

"The weather is getting absolutely insufferable." She said, sinking into an armchair next to the fire. The cracks from the burning wood gave the room a calm atmosphere, in contrast with the outside. Sakura enjoyed the warmth while the others sat in silence.

"I rather like it…" Naruto said softly after a while, "I always have, don't know why." He diverted his gaze from the window to look at her, his eyes smiling although he kept a serious face. He seemed nervous, with something, and Sakura hadn't seen him smile, truly smile, with care-freeness, since the trip back to Konoha had begun, "It's calming and really good for sleeping too. That and I have spent so much time trying to cross a goddamned desert, back on Argentia, that I may be developing a physical aversion to hot weather." He joked.

"Storm clouds aren´t nearly as interesting to watch as the other ones, though. Always grey and uniform. And much more troublesome to observe." Shikamaru absently commented.

Naruto and Sakura glanced briefly at each other, before exploding in laughter.

"What?"

"Only, you Shikamaru…"

***

With the approaching nightfall, the Storm started to clear and now, long after the crew and her teammates went off to sleep, Sakura could see a few stars now and then, before being obscured by the running clouds. The sea was calm, a striking contrast with its behavior from earlier in the day, and the light from the rising waning moon coloured the scenery in patches of silver.

Sakura was afraid of sleeping. She was afraid because she knew that, as soon as she closed her eyes, _he_ would come. Every night she would wake up, sometimes half-screaming, bathing in her own sweat, trembling from the night terrors that assailed her dreams. She lived that day over and over again, from Naruto's death to what came after it. She struggled and fought but his vicious grasp never faltered, and every time he did _it_, it was more painful than the last. Now that Naruto was back, she had another thing to worry about, adding more stress to her already overloaded system: the fear she had of him discovering about her problems had no equal in her other insecurities, and Sakura couldn't even begin to explain why she didn't want him to know. Was it because she was afraid he thought of her as weak, for not being able to stop Sasuke? Or was it because she didn't want his pity? No, thinking about it, it was something more, something so ingrained that, even though she knew it was not her at fault, it would not abandon her: Sakura felt dirty. She felt like she was some kind of whore. It was like there was a worm that seemed to be eating her inside. She felt like throwing up.

Sakura was so absorbed in her own problems that she failed to notice the approaching figure. She actually jumped when Kyuubi joined her presence.

"You're distressed. I can… smell it, I can feel it." She said in a low voice.

"What?" Sakura asked, totally surprised at her speech.

"I am as human as I can be. More so now, thanks to your Genjutsu lessons." She smiled, "But you mustn't forget that my… animal isn't as… faded as in other humans. I can sense things. You fear something. And I know it is not an attack. You have the look of someone who is afraid of being found. Like the cat that ate the canary and is afraid its master finds out." She paused and looked Sakura directly in the eye, "You are afraid of him finding out what you hide. I don't know what it is, and if you don't want to tell me, I don't want to know… But you should tell him." Kyuubi's eyes shone strangely in the night: "All that stands between you and the mad fear that chases you is him. But he cannot fight an enemy he does not know." And with that she turned on her heels and went back inside.

Sakura was once again left alone with her thoughts. Kyuubi's speech had seemed frighteningly like a prediction. But even as she considered it, she knew she wouldn't be able to tell Naruto what had happened. Not yet.

***

Wave Country was, in many ways, just like Naruto remembered. With a difference: the bridge was still there and business was explicitly much more alive than it had been before. The wonders of a Gatou-free country.

The best part was, from Naruto's point of view, the fact that Ramen shops seemed to have sprout out of the ground like mushrooms. It was heaven indeed. If only Sakura-chan had let them stop for a quick bite…

Still, it brought back memories. The land of Waves had been the stage for Team 7 first "real" successful mission. Back then they were still whole, before the mess created by Orochimaru. Or maybe they had just been too naïve to read the signs. They passed the Great Naruto Bridge and continued on, urged by Sakura and Shikamaru who seemed to be in a hurry. Naruto wouldn't have minded to take his time and revisit some memorable locations. Still he accepted their requests for speed and kept going. After all, as Kyuubi had commented to him, a true envoy with a mission wouldn't stop for sightseeing before completing his task.

A pity he didn't get to see Inari once again.

He sure was glad he had managed to grab a few bowls of ramen from a shop near de docks, though. The flavor couldn't be compared to the wonders of Ichiraku's, but still…

As the trees around them rearranged themselves in a more and more familiar disposition, Jiro couldn't help but feel relaxed. Boy, was he glad to be coming back. Sure, before their mission he had always jumped at the possibility of getting out of the village, even more so if that possibility was related to a mission assignment. Still, to be months away from home was a little too much for his tastes and Jiro looked eagerly forward to some of his mother's cooking.

Of course, when compared to the three years mission that Naruto guy seemed to have been in, three or four months looked like nothing. Jiro could hear him humming to himself as they walked down the road – he should be glad to be going home too.

Jiro risked a surreptitious glance at the blonde. He was walking purposefully, fully fitting into the ambassador role the Ruler from Snow Country had entrusted him with. They, along side with the Sakura-san seemed to share some kind of friendship. Jiro wondered how they got to know each other… The blonde was now eating ramen from a bowl with a look of bliss on his face. With a start, Jiro realized he hadn't even seen him take the thing out. He seemed famous too: there was a bridge named after him, for god's sake!

And the white haired girl… Jiro couldn't quite place it but there was something strange about her. Something about the way he didn't seem to be able to get her eyes of her. The way she moved was hypnotic. Jiro shook his head and scowled to himself: what was he thinking, ogling girls like that? Girls were bothersome; they only wanted shopping sprees and dresses and were always trying to beat the crap out of him. He grumbled and picked up the pace, edging away from the blond and trying to catch up with Shikamaru-sensei up front.

Sakura sighed slightly as she took sight of Naruto. Figures he would be able to sneak ramen even when she had expressively prohibited him from doing so. She considered harassing him for it but thought better. She didn't want to antagonize him any time soon after being apart for so long. And he might start feeling annoyed or disgruntled at her constant nagging, starting to drift away from her and closer to the Kitsune. She didn't want that. Naruto was her teammate, her friend. She was hers and hers alone, and she wouldn't let anyone else… The last thought drifted by inside Sakura's mind, unconsciously unacknowledged. Sakura rubbed the forehead that had given her so much trouble in the past.

"_My thoughts are confused. I can't even sort myself out today."_ She thought, _"I must be tired…"_

She watched Jiro pick up the pace and join Shikamaru.

And then she frowned.

Naruto froze for a split-second before wordlessly performing kage bunshin. A perfect material copy of him appeared at his side. She heard the clone's whispered "henge" and watched as he transformed into Kyuubi. He did it without attracting the attention of any of the other members of the group. If she hadn't been looking in his direction she wouldn't have a clue of what he had done. She also realized that, during those few moments, she had unconsciously grabbed hold of a few kunai.

Naruto merged with Kyuubi and the mask immediately adjusted to his face, making a noise like a metallic "clunck!", the suit entering battle mode.

Quickly, he made his way towards Shikamaru, who seemed to be surprised to see him in such attire.

"Someone is coming. I don't like the feeling I'm getting."

Shikamaru nodded, "If it comes to a hostile encounter, my team will run to Konoha. I hate to leave you behind, but I have explicit orders from the Godaime: if we are engaged the jounin-sensei and his students are to flee the site and leave the confrontation to the escorting party. The students' safety comes first."

"Of course", Naruto agreed.

Shikamaru slowed down, gathered his team in a tight formation and waited for Sakura to catch up to Naruto, which she did in less than two seconds. In a battle, time was the essence.

They kept going at full speed for a while. The closer they could get to Konoha, no matter whether the incoming party was hostile or not, the better.

"Katon: Goukakkyou no Jutsu!"

Sakura and Naruto got out of the way a split-second before the barrage of fire ravished the place they had been standing mere moments before. Sakura took a quick look behind her. Perceptive as always, Shikamaru had already escaped with the kids. The Kyuubi-henged Naruto bunshin was nowhere to be seen either.

A swarm of kunai came flying from the trees, directed at Naruto. Sakura watched as Kyuubi wrapped herself around him, protecting his body from the sharp edges. The momentum of the projectiles though, was something the protective vest couldn't stop, and Naruto was thrown out of the clearing and into the trees.

"I can see your reflexes are as good as always, though I can't say the same about your companion, Sakura…"

Sakura froze. That cold voice could belong to only one person.

She turned around and faced the dark haired youth that had appeared in the clearing. He was somewhat pale and dressed in white, the same uniform she had seen him three years before. On his face, he wore a taunting smirk.

"Sasuke…"

***

Naruto landed neatly on a branch, hidden with a skill that would have been impossible in his years as a Genin. But he wasn't a Genin anymore. Well, technically he supposed he was, but not in ability anymore. At least he liked to think so…

He had a clear view of Sakura-chan from there, although he couldn't see the attacker. Not that it mattered: he knew that voice.

"Sasuke…" he heard Sakura say. Or rather, growl. Even at the distance he was from her, Naruto could see how pale her complexion had become. Naruto's nails dug into his palms, even with the gloves he was wearing. He stayed hidden though, looking for a moment to strike. He managed to concentrate again on the scene around him and watched as Sakura and the Bastard spoke.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What? Do I need a reason to check on my teammate?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Answer the question!" she half-shouted.

In an instant he was there beside her, whispering in her ear, with a tone that left her cold, "Why, I thought I would stop by and see how my… _investment_ was coming along." If his senses weren't so enhanced from the merging with Kyuu-chan, Naruto would have missed the explanation entirely.

Sakura broke free of his weak grasp and landed a few feet from him

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she said, tense.

"How is our son, Sakura?"

Naruto froze. The world slowed down and his mind shut itself to the outside. His thoughts were a turmoil without sense. Son? Sakura and Sasuke have a son? Impossible. Impossible. Imp- _Stop that! We don't know everything yet so don't freak out!_

Kyuubi's intervention brought him back to the real world just in time to hear Sasuke continue.

"How is our son? How is the child that will revive my clan? I trust you made a good vessel, right Sakura?"

"Why do you want to know?" Sakura asked, trembling in rage.

"But to take him with me, of course. To train him as a true ninja. To convert him to my just cause. Did you honestly think I would let him be raised in a village where he will turn against his own father?"

"He won't turn against his own father. Because he doesn't exist!" Sakura snarled.

Sasuke watched her coldly for a moment. Deadly silent.

"What do you mean?..."

Sakura smirked, "Oh, I don't know… maybe the great Uchiha Sasuke doesn't have in him what it takes to make babies!"

"Well, we'll just have to find out, don't we?"

Sakura's smirk fell and she became white as a skull. Her hands started trembling, and she said, in scatting tones: "Naruto protected me before you killed him. Part of Kyuubi's chakra runs in my veins. It is not the demon, it's a pathetically small portion of its power. But it protects me against outside invasions. _Any_ kind of invasions. I will never bear your son, Sasuke, and I'll kill myself before submitting to any perversion you have in mind!!"

_Well, well… guess I just found out what that leak in my chakra was!"_ Naruto half heard Kyuubi comment in his mind.

Sasuke snarled and hurled himself at her. Deciding the show had been on for long enough, Naruto crouched and leapt away from the branch.

***

Sakura steeled herself and prepared for impact, seeing her once teammate and crush dash to her. His hand flew to his back and, in a flash, the sword of Kusanagi appeared in his hand.

"_Shit!"_ Sakura thought, preparing to dodge. She had seen him use the sword against Yamato-taichou. There was no way her kunai could stop the blade. But he was coming in fast and Sakura didn't know if she could move in time.

There was a blur of motion and suddenly Naruto had replaced Sasuke, who was now getting to his feet a few meters away from them.

"Hmm… Your kick isn't half bad." Sasuke said, wiping the blood from his mouth, "But I hope you are ready to face the consequences of engaging me in combat."

"And you are?" Naruto asked indifferently. Just to piss him off.

"My name is Sasuke, from the Uchiha clan. I'm sure you now know your mistake" the other answered with the tone of someone who explains a simple truth to a child.

"Nope. Don't know, don't care!"

Sasuke's face paled even more and a dark look settled on his eyes. Then he launched himself at Naruto. He moved deviously with the sword, Naruto thought. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure whether Kyuubi would be able to stop the sword of Kusanagi, should Sasuke make contact, so he was forced to dodge as much as he could, focusing on defense rather than attack. Good thing Sakura had taken the time to recover herself.

The pink haired girl launched into a deadly attack of chakra enhanced punches, forcing the Uchiha to undertake some serious work in avoiding her fists. Seeing an opening, she punched with all her might but Sasuke was able to stop the blow with the sword. The raven haired young man was thrown away from the force of the blow, but the sword resisted the impact – although the blade stood vibrating, emitting an unpleasant tone.

Before he could have the chance to recover, Sakura launched a volley of shuriken, which Sasuke narrowly avoided or deflected.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Something was not right. Why wouldn't the bastard use any Jutsu? Or the Sharingan for that matter. He was sporting signs of exhaustion too… or was he just trying to get them to misread his condition?

Sasuke launched himself in the air and started doing a couple hand-seals. The move could leave him unprotected for a few instants, but the fire Jutsu he was charging would incinerate any kunai or shuriken hurled at him, and without a long rage weapon it would be difficult for anyone to reach him before he finished the seals.

But Naruto had a move he didn't know about.

He jumped and at the same time extended his hand forward, propelling his fingers in Sasuke's direction. He saw the Bastard's conceited smirk, the victorious look in his eyes as he entered the final stages of the Jutsu. And he saw that look fade into incredulousness as five sharp blades entered his abdomen.

Naruto's glove had extended, turning hard as steel, into long, knife-like claws, reaching the avenger's body, piercing his internal organs.

A line of blood fell from Sasuke's incredulous mouth as he was brought back down to earth with a movement from the blonde's arm. Naruto's glove returned to normal as he and a badly winded Sakura approached the fallen ninja. Laboring breath came irregularly. He was still alive, though not for long.

"Heh… so you managed to defeat me, huh? Don't look so surprised, if it had been the original you wouldn't have stood a chance. But he's busy with Orochimaru." Sasuke said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It's a secret!" Sasuke smirked infuriatingly. He paused for a few seconds, "I would at least like to see the face of the one who defeated me. Your hood and mask hardly reveal anything."

Naruto paused for a moment. Than the mask slid to his chest and the hood fell back. Sasuke stared at him with wide eyes.

"Ah…" he closed his eyes and started laughing faintly, "Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah! I don't understand this at all! I thought he had killed you…"

"He?" Naruto asked, lifting and eyebrow.

"The original. I thought… heh, no matter now. Listen, if you want to defeat Sasuke, defeat me, then beat the remaining ones and get to the original… I re…" and with a gasp, Uchiha Sasuke passed away.

**A/N.: I'm not satisfied with this chapter at all.**** That said, sorry for taking so long to update this. University doesn't really care for our fanfics, as others here might confirm. That and I got something called Writer's Block or whatever. Anyway here it is and, as always, sorry for the mistakes. I'm short on time and this was even less proof-read than the other chapters. If this one as smaller mistakes, than I guess I'm good on tight schedules. I'll try to update FOX Chronicles too, as soon as I can.**


	15. Homecoming

"The original. I thought… heh, no matter now. Listen, if you want to defeat Sasuke, defeat me, then beat the remaining ones and get to the original… I re…" and with a gasp, Uchiha Sasuke passed away.

Sakura looked at the body of her ex-team mate, too numbed to actually think about something. It wasn't until after a while that she realized Naruto had turned away and took a few steps from them. Kyuubi had apparently detached herself again and was watching the scene with curiosity and some measurement of concern, her attention shifting from her and the body to Naruto on regular intervals.

"Naruto…" Sakura hesitated.

"It doesn't feel right." He answered, turning to her, "It doesn't feel like we fought Sasuke. That guy was weak. Sasuke would not have gone down so easily!"

Sakura frowned a little. True, the battle had gone nothing like their previous encounters with the traitor. But Naruto seemed to have gotten strong in the time he had been gone so maybe that was the reason things went so smoothly? She conveyed her opinion to them, but Naruto chuckled dismissively.

"The only thing I've done besides training this ability of mine, which hasn't been that useful in battle, is crossing a continent with my own two feet… And Kyuu-chan's, of course."

"Well, okay but still…" Whatever it was Sakura was trying to convey lost itself on the way out of her mouth as the corpse before them started decomposing as if time had accelerated and one second equalled ten years. In a matter of seconds, only a skeleton with patches of skin remained.

"Whoa!"

"Did you…!"

"That's impossible!"

Sakura stood transfixed, staring at the body.

"This is impossible! There's no way a living being would decay to such an advanced state in such a short time; It's like saying humans can fly!"

"A-Hem!" Naruto stared at his nails before continuing, "I can fly, and I'm human. AND we're staring at a body that just did the impossible."

"Yes but… Look: for something like this to happen, the DNA structure of the person in question would have to be passing through a state of major instability, maybe provoked by some kind of radiation exposure or something – I just can't think of anything else capable of doing it." She started speaking faster and faster, "The vibration of the atoms in the molecules would destabilize the whole dual-helix organization of the nuclear acid and release the destroyed particles into the remainder of the cells resulting in a chain reaction that-"

Naruto's mind was buzzing by now, and he decided to interrupt before things got out of hand: "Look, maybe you'll just give me the kids version later, ok? We gotta get back into our cover-story. Let's worry about Sasuke later."

Sakura gathered herself.

"It's not that difficult! The body just melts like you just saw, because…" Naruto opened his eyes, "OK, fine. Let me just get a tissue sample so we can run some diagnosis tests later."

With the practised ease of her medic-nin training, Sakura extracted a few small vials in which she inserted samples of the corpse's skin. After putting them safe in her pouch she asked: "What should we do with the body?"

"Allow me!" Kyuubi answered. Moving with a startling speed, she sped through several hand seals Naruto had never before seen and expelled a dark fire from her mouth that incinerated the body into nothingness in a matter of seconds.

"That looked like Amaterasu… the fire technique Itachi uses. I've seen it once when I was travelling with Ero-sennin." Naruto said.

Kyuubi answered in a small calm voice: "I once told you the Sharingan was constructed using my powers. It is only Natural its abilities are a perversion of my own. No one else can use these techniques, not even other tailed beasts. These are the 'rewards' for keeping my end of the bargain."

"What bargain? The Sharingan?" Naruto asked confused.

"No. Its… Never mind… It's not important."

"Well… OK. We better get going and try to catch up with Shikamaru, no?"

"I doubt you can do that. By now he's sure to have warned the village about our predicament, and Sasuke's presence in the vicinity." Sakura remarked, "Let's just get moving and be sure Kyuubi's masked enough so no one notices her too much."

"Yes ma'am!" Naruto said, making a mock salute and earning a glare from his team-mate.

Jumping from tree branch into tree brunch got old after a few times doing it in your Genin days, so Sakura was able to detach herself from the movement almost automatically. Their battle with Sasuke kept playing over and over again and she couldn't shake the feeling she hadn't been that useful in it. And the way the body had decomposed…

She risked a sideways glance at her friend. Naruto was humming quietly for himself, jumping from tree to tree with an extra spring on his feet. He didn't seem to be the slightest unfazed by the incident. Sakura frowned slightly as she realized something: he was happy to come back. She felt like shaking her head. Even after all this time he was still so easy to read.

Suddenly, Naruto covered his head with the hood again and dropped to the ground. He was almost instantly followed by Kyuubi, who had rearranged the more than subtle illusion so that no one would see her fox-like appearance. Sakura couldn't feel the barest whisper of chakra, and considering she was a medic-nin that was saying something.

Sakura dropped to the ground too, steadying her breath and following the pattern in formation with a natural affinity. It felt good to be on a team with Naruto again. She felt like she could predict his movements easily, and act accordingly.

Shikamaru didn't take long to appear before them, bringing several Chuunin with him. With a surprised little start, Sakura realized that commanding them was Hatake Kakashi. Shikamaru seemed surprised.

"Sakura… you're alright!"

Sakura scowled, "Don't act so surprised… idiot."

"What about Sasuke, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"It wasn't him, Kakashi-sensei. It was some sort of strange clone. It immediately decomposed into a messy dust after defeat. It was unlike anything I had ever seen." Sakura answered.

"Dust? An earth clone then?" Kakashi asked back, "They are very good for tracking and spying, but for battle… there are far more effective clones…"

"Not that kind of dust. I've collected samples but, until I've made some tests, I won't be able to make any conclusions."

The Jounin nodded, "Very well. I'm sure you and Tsunade-sama will work that one out. And these two?" he inquired, nodding to Naruto and Kyuubi.

Before Sakura could say anything, Kyuubi took one step forward and started speaking in a rich, polite tone: "We are the ambassadors from Snow Country, on behalf of the Queen of Ice and Water, Fuun. We come in hopes of fortifying the relations between our countries and to update on the ongoing Project."

Kakashi's eyes had widened a little over the title of the Monarch of Snow, but he quickly regained his absent look.

"You have proof of your claims, right?"

"It is not enough of a proof that we travel with your companions? Is your faith in them so weak as to not trust their abilities?"

Kakashi wanted to cringe for that slip. He was supposed to boost his ex-apprentice's morale, not destroy it even further. He also wanted to shove a kunai down the throat of the woman for her boldness. He settled for a cold, dry answer.

"This is a military country. It is our job to distrust even our own fingers when it comes to the safety of our village. Trust can only take you so far."

The woman nodded as if she understood.

"And yet without trust we are nothing more than wild animals, waiting in the shadows for someone else to stab our backs. Were it not for trust, this world's societies would have crumbled long ago."

Okay… maybe she did understand. A little…

The woman nodded once again and smoothed her clothes, in a classical noble-like fashion.

"You will have to forgive us, but we were instructed to reveal our identities to the Hokage only. We have the necessary documents, of course, and we will follow your instructions without any complaint. We are not here for war."

Sakura realized her mouth was hanging a bit open, so she closed it. Kakashi was nodding to himself.

"Kakashi-san, I and Sakura were there, when Queen Fuun charged them with their mission. They've been with us ever since. We can vouch for their authenticity." Shikamaru said.

"Very well, follow me and Shikamaru. Sakura come with us too. The rest of you may head back. I'll signal you if any trouble arises." He made a hand-sign and the remainder Chuunin scattered.

* * *

Kakashi watched with detached interest as the hooded envoy recollected his identification papers from the Chuunin at the gate. His movements were precise and secure. Almost ninja-like. He supposed it was to be expected. There had been some skillfull fighters on their first mission to Snow and Queen Fuun seemed wise enough not to waste those kinds of abilities. As much as the woman seemed to love peace, that wouldn't last if no one enforced it.

Shrugging to himself, he continued towards the Tower of the Shadow, the daytime residence of the Hokage. Though Tsunade-sama would probably call it the Torture Pinnacle.

Absently he reached for his pouch and extracted an orange book. His little companion in dull times, Kakashi had to admit to himself he had somehow grown addicted to the porn books Jiraya-sama was known to write. He didn´t even think such thing was possible until it happened to him. But now his hands reached for the book automatically and several times he would already be reading when he realized what he was doing.

He supposed he shouldn't be reading it in front of official envoys from a foreign country. However, Kakashi had taken great pains to keep his books from being identified. The title, the picture in the frame, the author, everything had been skillfully erased, remaining only the characteristic orange color. Earlier in his career as a Jounin, which coincidentally was also when he started to take interest in such books, his female counterparts had been very adamant in getting rid of his preferred literature, especially Kurenai, so he had to take precautions to ensure they weren't recognized. Such things were useless now, of course. Everyone knew what those orange books of his were.

Kakashi continued onward, absently considering the shame it was that Jiraya-sama had slowed down the update of his stories. He supposed it had been because of Naruto. Kakashi narrowed his eyes in sadness. Of all his failures, the death of his blonde pupil was the worst. He had failed him, failed his sensei, failed everyone, it seemed. He looked up with a sigh and realized he had unknowingly taken the route to the Hokage's Tower that passed by his student's apartment. Sakura lived there now after her monumental fight with her mother. At least while she was there no one would try to destroy Naruto's place…

* * *

"Hmm… Figured they'd have burnt it down or something…" Naruto grumbled.

'_What?' _Kyuubi sent through their shared link.

'_My apartment. I figured someone would have _accidently _set it on fire or something like that. Burn down anything that might remind them of the demon brat, you know? Oh CRAP!_' his sudden exclamation smashed any guilty answer Kyuubi might have thought of giving, '_There must be three years worth of dust and garbage on that place, I'm never gonna finish cleaning up!_'

Kyuubi smiled when she realized he was actually whining at the prospect of domestic labor: '_Don't worry, I'll help._'

'_I tell you, I've never been has glad I have a small apartment as I am now… Crossing a continent, defeating crazy ninja clones, serving as courier, and does anybody thank me? No, it's _of you go clean you apartment_ to Naruto…_" he continued grumbling.

'_Don't be such a baby, I said I'd help._'

'_But it's sooo unfair!'_ he kicked a small stone in the dusty road and sent it hopping ahead of him.

* * *

As the shape of the Hokage's Tower became more and more defined, until it stood in front of them in all of its glory, Sakura gradually felt some of the tension leaving her bones. She was back. It was almost as if seeing the tower up close made it official. Now all she wanted was a soothing hot bath, some hot food and then rest. Detach her mind of military issue's. Maybe see if Ino was free… a rolling stone attracted her attention and directed her eyes back to the kicker, Naruto.

It was strange how she kept forgetting he was around. She supposed it was because part of her had still not quite assimilated the truth that he had returned. His white cloak reflected the sunlight and concealed what she knew was his revealing blonde hair. Suddenly, the day seemed a lot brighter.

* * *

Usually, when someone had some kind of trouble, the normal procedure would be to fill a form calling for the attention of the Hokage and be sure to communicate it to the representative of the Council, be it the Merchant's Guild, Bank Union, Civilian representative or the head of the clan one belonged to, assuring the matter would be brought on the next reunion.

For those seeking employees for missions, it was normal to present a formal request to the ninja on the first level of the Hokage tower. There the details of the mission would be worked out, its rank would be decided and the necessary paperwork would be forwarded to the Hokage for approval, who would then decide who to send for the job. The exceptions were escorts, diplomatic missions and those ranking above middle A-rank. To these missions, the employer would contact directly with the Great Shadow.

Those who fulfilled such conditions were treated with the show of climbing several flights of stairs until they reached the upper most floor. They would also become familiar with the tight security in the Tower. Every floor was guarded by a ninja team, each set of stairs watched by a pair of Chuunin at the entrance and exit. Patrol teams would often be seen – there was not a chamber in the tower who wasn't under surveillance.

Reaching the last floor would leave the person in a medium-sized waiting room, with a desk where a female Chuunin organized the paperwork and controlled those coming in and out. When the time was right, the employer would be guided through a short corridor and passing by another pair of guards, find oneself in the Hokage Office.

Of course ninja teams usually bypassed the entire process and just entered through one of the windows in the waiting room, making themselves known and proceeded to the office. And then there was Jiraya who would enter directly through the roof into the Hokage rooms.

Because he wasn't there as a ninja, Naruto was rewarded with the entire procedure. Faking interest at the things on each floor and the tight security wasn't really all that hard specially considering that he really had never seen it before. He just used to barge into the waiting room from the windows. They didn't have to wait long though. Almost as soon as Hatake Kakashi announced himself they were admitted into the presence of the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade.

* * *

**A/N.: So, yeah, another chapter after all this time. My life is hectic so I'm sorry it took so long. If there is anyone still interested in this story I'd be happy for some feedback you deem worthy of giving :p**

**Also, about my other fic, the FOX Chronicles... should I live it like that or do you guys want an update too?  
**


	16. Broken

Chapter XVI

The Godaime was facing the windows of the office, as if immersed in deep thought. The moment they gave a step into the room, however, she turned to them and dedicated them her full attention. Sakura was once again reminded of the sheer force that a Kage level ninja imposed just by his presence. Naruto shrugged it off as nothing. This office was almost as home as his apartment. He had passed a lot of time there with the Sandaime, playing Hokage. He was sort of immunized to the intimidating presence of a Kage.

As long as it didn't concern Naruto's well-being, Kyuubi couldn't really give a damn.

"Kakashi, Team Shikamaru, welcome back!" Tsunade greeted them. Then she turned serious and barked, "Report!"

Shikamaru straitened and started relaying a summary of the mission. "… All in all, Godaime-sama, mission successful."

Tsunade nodded as she took some notes, before replying, "You will give me a written report with all the pertinent details. Your students will also be giving their opinion from their point of view; I remind you, a young sensei is evaluated not only by the results of the training he administers but also from the opinions of his students. You have until midday tomorrow to give me the reports." Shikamaru groaned slightly: there went his night of rest, "What is your evaluation of Chuunin Haruno Sakura in this mission?" she then asked, the tip of the pen hovering above the papers.

"I have no complaints, Hokage-sama." He sighed as the look the Godaime gave him told him he would have to elaborate. "Chuunin Haruno Sakura performed flawlessly during mission, even going as far as intercepting a Jounin level drug dealer from Rain country. Said ninja was then escorted to Snow authorities, as rules state. Her knowledge of ninja theory also proved invaluable in preparing the Country for accepting ninja trainees. As stated: no complaints." Shikamaru was secretly admired that Jiro hadn't open his mouth to point out it was Naruto who had made the interception, but he found he was curiously intent on avoiding even looking at the blonde.

"Hmm" Tsunade grumbled. Nauto frowned under the hood. Why was oba-saan being so difficult? Wasn't Shikamaru's word enough? Didn't she know Sakura-chan's value? Was there something more at play here?

"You will also write a report about that." Tsunade added as a second thought. Shikamaru squirmed at the prospect of extra work. Sakura remained remarkably silent. "Very well, you and your team can have the remainder of the week free. Get your asses back here Monday morning for a new mission. I believe it is about time for Tora to escape home again." She smiled at the groans from the Genin. "Dismissed."

Shikamaru saluted and turned to the door, squeezing Sakura's shoulder on the way out.

As soon as the click from the closing door was heard, the Godaime dedicated her whole attention to the remaining people in her office. "Sakura please wait here for a few moments, I wish to speak with you. Now," she turned to Naruto and Kyuubi, "I apologize for not dedicating you my attention sooner, but for all the ninja training, Genin are still children and experience as thought me that the sooner I get them out of this office, the less Sake I have to buy." She paused smirking slightly in good nature.

"I understand you are here to report on the progress of our joint project, am I correct?"

"Indeed, Hokage-sama, we are most satisfied to inform you that every procedure as been terminated and that Snow Country now stands ready for the next stage of the creation of our own ninja academy. But Queen Fuun as personally explained it in a scroll, which I will now hand to you." Kyuubi said again in that rich voice Naruto had seen her use.

Kakashi made a movement to intercept the scroll. "It's alright Kakashi, no need. I doubt they'll booby trap a scroll I would open with them here."

Tsunade unrolled the scroll and silence filled the room, broken occasionally by Kakashi's book pages being flipped. The Godaime's face, however, became more and more serious as she read the scroll, ending up in a scowl. With a subtle hand movement she signalled Kakashi.

Naruto predicted the kunai before it touched his neck but still made no move to intercept it, remaining impassive. Kyuubi however, growled alarmingly and hissed, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Taking precautions." Answered the Hokage, "There are things written in this scroll I don't like a bit." She set her glare on Naruto who again made no movement. "Uncover yourself and explain your actions. NOW!" she bellowed when he didn't comply.

Tsunade made a move to the hooded head in an effort to remove the clothing but found her arm claimed by the white woman's hand. She tried to force her to let go but to her immense surprise, found she couldn't do it.

Kyuubi was now openly growling, her face scrunched up in a rictus of fury and warning, her mouth baring teeth that had more developed canines than would be normal. The Godaime looked at her eyes and took an involuntary step back, the girls eyes were slit and red. She knew those eyes.

Kakashi tried to attack the woman but found himself impeded by the hooded man. Who sighed.

"This is stupid. Kyuu-chan, release baa-chan, please."

Signalling Kakashi to stand down, Tsunade asked quietly, "Who are you?"

Naruto pulled the hood silently… and exploded: "I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO, FUTURE HOKAGE OF KONOHA, DATTEBAIYOOOO!!"

* * *



Tsunade silently slid into sitting on the desk, for lack of better support. Kakashi was paralyzed in shock and Sakura started laughing. She couldn't help it, this was so Naruto. The Godaime looked at her as through a daze.

"You knew about this?" Sakura managed to nod through the laughter and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. All the stress accumulated in three years was being thrown out the window and she was close to hysterical laughing. Finally she managed to calm down.

"But… Naruto! How?" Tsunade asked.

"After the Bastard punched me through my chest I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was in the middle of a shore. I later found out to be in the Southern Continent." He gave her a short version of the story, "I had to take the trip back on foot, crossed a desert, a mountain chain, an ocean, stopped in Snow country, met Shikamaru and Sakura-chan… That's really why I didn't come earlier, really." He shrugged.

"Naruto, you realize that you've been thought dead for years."

"Huh… yeah, how long as it been? One year?"

"Three years, Naruto."

"THREE YEARS!!!" with that voice volume he might really be Naruto, Tsunade thought.

She nodded to him, "You'll understand if I make you some questions to verify your identity…"

"Er, sure, as long as it isn't a written exam…"

Tsunade had to smile at that, even if unwillingly.

"Right. Tell me about yourself. Your likes and dislikes, dreams, you know…" she asked.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but then thought better. Deciding to go with an idea he had he said "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like Cup Ramen, What I like even more is when Iruka-sensei pays for my ramen, I dislike waiting for the three minutes it takes to cook ramen." He then settled for a very serious look and said, "My dream is to surpass all the previous Hokage and have this village acknowledge my existence." He readjusted an imaginary forehead protector, for good measure.

Tsunade stared a bit before noting the face Kakashi was making. The Jounin was hanging with his mouth open and started to sweat before her very eyes. "What is it Kakashi?" she asked.

"H-Hokage-sama… t-that was an almost word for word copy of the introduction Naruto made me when we first met as a team!"

"Really?" She appraised Naruto a bit, before continuing, "Alright… What is this?" She showed him a necklace with three gems pending.

"That's my necklace."

Tsunade's face hardened, "Wrong. This is my necklace."

"No. It's **my** necklace. I won it fair and square. You said if I mastered the Rasengan in a week it would be mine, and I did." He wiggled the fingers in his hand, "Give it back, baa-chan."

"Hmm, not so fast. There's something you can do to prove beyond doubt who you are: channel some of the Kyuubi's chakra."

Naruto's face hardened, "Are you sure? Everyone will feel that."

"Keep it to a minimum then. If what you claim is true, I'll be announcing your return tomorrow at the clan meeting, anyway."

Naruto sighed resignedly. He let Kyuubi channel a bit of her chakra to him and then opened his eyes.

Tsunade watched as red slit eyes looked at her, and the whiskers darkened even further than she remembered. A lone tear slid down her face and she would never had thought she would be so happy at such a fearsome sight. "Naruto…" she mumbled. Then she hugged him.

"Ack! Can't breathe!"

And then she punched him on the top of the head, "You IDIOT!"

"OW! What was that for?"

"That's for taking so long to come back. The first was for returning." She turned to Sakura, leaving Naruto in the embrace of Kakashi, "You knew about this? Why didn't you send me a note?"

Sakura hesitated, "We didn't know the state of things here, with Root and all… Besides, shishou, you wouldn't believe a word anyway." Tsunade had to concede that point to her.

Seeing that Naruto had finally gotten free of his sensei, she asked, "So I'm guessing she's the real envoy?" Tsunade pointed at Kyuubi.

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Nope. I'm the envoy."

"Then who is her?"

"How much do you know of Bloodlines, baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I read the scrolls the Nidaime and Shodaime left behind on the creation of bloodlines. Contracts with the Bijuu, right?"

"Really?" Kakashi's book was remarkably absent.

"Good!" Naruto cooed. "She's Kyuubi, baa-chan. Contracted with me and setting our bloodline! Recovered all her tails too, show her, Kyuu-chan."

Kyuubi undid the Genjutsu. Kakashi's eyes widened when he realized he had failed to notice it. Her eyes became slit again, two fox ears sprouted from her head, attentive and curious, and twelve luxurious furry tails stretched behind her. The Hokage and the Jounin stared at the two of them.

Finally, the Godaime broke the silence, "She doesn't have nine tails."

"She didn't have them originally, she used to have twelve like now, but Uchiha Madara stole them and they became nine. And she became the rampaging demon from the imbalance." Naruto explained.

Tsunade got up so quickly the chair she had been sitting on fell over, "THE NINE-TAILED FOX WAS THE GODDESS?!"

"Hum… what are we talking about here?" Kakashi asked weakly.

"Sensei – hush!" Sakura shushed him.

"So that was why you disappeared and the Bijuu suddenly became unwilling to contract?" Tsunade asked the vixen girl. She nodded in accordance.

"And you say Uchiha Madara was responsible?"

"That's why I attacked Konoha." Kyuubi answered. The Godaime marveled at the softness of her voice, even feeling the power beneath the words. She would never expect the kitsune's voice to be like that.

"That clan is starting to seem more and more worthless, the more I hear…" the Hokage mumbled. Then she locked eyes with Naruto, "Write all that's happened on a report too. Get it on my desk by tomorrow evening."

Naruto agreed and she groaned, "I really am glad for the privacy seals in this room." She looked at the blonde, "Things are kinda hectic right now, Naruto. There's a power struggle being played under the table between the Hokage, me, and her supporters, and an organization named Root, led by a man named Danzo. He's a retired ninja but is not to be under-estimated. The representatives of the civilian part of the town in the council are under his grasp, even if the villagers themselves don't agree with his views. Most the ninja clans back me up because they're your old teammates, but there's been some difficulties with the Hyuuga, and I haven't been able to secure their support yet. At least they have yet to take sides…" she sighed, "Your old apartment is being used by Sakura."

Naruto's eyebrows shot upwards and he looked at his pink-haired teammate, surprised.

"She had a bad fight with her mother, and needed a place to live." The Godaime spared her student the trouble to clarify, "Your apartment was free so…"

"That's O.K., baa-chan, I don't mind. I'll just have to find some other means to secure a living-place. I can stay with Iruka-sensei, if he doesn't mind, until I manage."

"You can sleep at your apartment I don't mind!" Sakura said almost too quickly to be perceived. When everyone turned to look at her she started to redden until she resembled a ripe tomato. "As long as you don't do anything perverted…" She managed to add weakly.

The Godaime smacked her own forehead, "I'd forgotten. Actually, Naruto, lodging won't be a problem for you anymore. You're what, seventeen?"

"Eighteen, actually: I was a bit older than my schoolmates when I graduated, 'cause I failed the first two graduation exams."

Tsunade clapped her hands gleefully, "Goood, you're officially an adult now, by the village's standards, even though you're still a Genin." She laughed at his face. Getting up, she exited through a side door that Naruto knew led to the Hokage's personal housing within the tower. Sakura returned his smile, still a bit pink in the face, as they heard Tsunade fumble through her things. Kyuubi's ears followed the sounds with curiosity as she observed the room almost critically. Kakashi had yet to remove the hand he had rested on Naruto's shoulder, and gave it a squeeze from time to time as if reassuring he was there.

The Hokage returned after a few moments with a small sealed black box.

"After I became the Godaime, I found a scroll left by sensei to whoever became the Hokage." She started explaining as she sat down at her desk. She deposited the box I front of her a motioned them to sit, "In it were several instructions and advices on running the village." She smiled at the memory. Sarutobi was always known for his teaching tendencies, "There was also a very well encrypted note. A note about your heritage; within it, there were the instructions to reveal the contents of this box and the truth behind your family only after you became Chuunin or reached the legal adult age, conditions that would, any of them, emancipate you in the eyes of the village and free you from any unwanted influence. It would also ensure you were prepared to face the dangers of you heritage." She said, clasping her hands before her.

Naruto's heart thumped against his ribcage as he took hold of the box. He had understood the part about the influence. After all, Princess Fuun had already discussed it with him. Once Tsunade said the last sentence, however, he became confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you being prepared to face possible hunter-nins from other villages. After all, the Yellow Flash of Konoha had many enemies and a lot of people would give several limbs for an opportunity to kill the son of the Yondaime Hokage…" Tsunade answered gauging his reaction.

She got none. Naruto had frozen at the revelation. Fortunately, Sakura did not disappoint: "WHAT?!!!"

Kakashi's book fell to the ground with a "bump".

"You KNEW something like that and never told any of us?!" he asked indignantly.

"I couldn't." Tsunade answered frowning, "His father was very clear on that matter, the truth was not to be revealed unless he cleared one of the previous mentioned requisites. No one else was to know either."

"WHY EVER NOT?" Kakashi asked hotly.

"Because if you were captured you could reveal information like that to the enemy and make a target of him. Can you imagine what would have been like if Uchiha Sasuke knew of it? What would have happen after he fled Konoha if he revealed the knowledge to, say, Orochimaru, one of the persons who hated the Yondaime the most?" Tsunade asked flatly.

The discussion was broken by Naruto who moved in the chair and broke out of his stupor.

"Naruto?" Tsunade asked tentatively.

"It's… It's almost too big to take in, really." He said calmly. He looked at them, "When I was younger I used to imagine I was special, related to him even. I'd never have thought of this though. It makes sense now that I think of it: I mean, how many blondes are there in Konoha? Not that many. And who else would give his own child to seal the Kyuubi into?" he asked rhetorically.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" the Godaime asked cautiously.

"I am. Really I am!" He reassured her, at her incredulous look, "I suppose I could be angry at the sealing, but I haven't really lost anything. I still have friends. And now I have Kyuu-chan too!" he smiled, "And the secret part, I can understand too, sort of. And I wouldn't want to become another Sasuke because everyone cuddled me because I was the Yondaime's son" He shrugged, "I can't really be sad for losing them. I never knew them. My family is all here: you, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Ero-sennin, Sakura-chan, Old-man Teuchi, my friends… I can't feel loss for what I don't know. I certainly wish I had a better childhood but I like to think it made me a better person in the long run… What?" He asked seeing Tsunade with her mouth hanging open.

She closed it, "I… I wasn't expecting such a mature answer." She admitted.

"Having your supposed best friend rip your heart off your chest puts a lot of things in a new perspective, baa-chan. I lost a lot of naivety and innocence. Though I'm keeping some – Kyuu-chan says one should never lose all of it!" he smiled.

The Kitsune looked at him confused, "When did I say that?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, I feel you did though."

"Yes, well…" Tsunade regained her composure. You inherit the Namikaze family's estate, and all their belongings. They are kept in the house's basement. Your name will be revealed in its fullest: Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto and you'll take hold of the seat your clan held in the Council. I hope you're ready to work at reforming the clan!" She added slyly, enjoying his fierce blush and sputtering, "These changes will only take effect tomorrow, after I announce your return. You'll also be present of course. We will board the subject right at the beginning of the meeting so you can assume your role as clan head for the rest of it. Just make sure you're here at 7 a.m. sharp, O.K.?"

"Sounds good."

"Excellent. For the moment, though, keep yourself hooded in the village, and I ask that none of you present here reveal this to anyone until we had the chance to face the council." Sakura and Kakashi nodded their agreement, "Since you won't possess a house until tomorrow, you can spend the night with Sakura, I suppose." She almost laughed at the blush the two were now sporting and the scowl present on Kyuubi's face. Kami, adolescents were so fun! "Keep the perverseness to an acceptable level, though." She managed to cough before starting to laugh.

Naruto had to admit it had been fun. After laughing too he asked, "Speaking of perverts, where's Ero-sennin?"

Tsunade became serious once again, "He went on to investigate a disturbance he heard of in the Southern Continent. The main chain of mountains there erupted after Akatsuki members were spotted in Argentia."

"Oh, you mean the mountain we blew up?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade blinked. "I expect that report tomorrow evening Naruto. I mean it!!"

Naruto gave her a mock salute, "Yes Ma'am, old hag."

For once, Tsunade ignored the insult. The light in the office was diminishing, the afternoon coming to a close. She realized they'd skipped lunch with the conversation.

"Alright, settle yourselves at Sakura's apartment. I gather you" she pointed at Kyuubi, "won't want to be separated from him, right?"

"It would be bad for your health to even suggest it." She answered.

Tsunade chuckled. The Kitsune was really jealous and possessive of her contractor. "Right. If you have problems with space send me a kage bunshin, I'll see what I can do."

"We'll be fine, baa-chan." Naruto said placating.

"Very well. Get some rest, eat, sleep, do kinky stuff, whatever. Just make sure you're here at seven tomorrow." She laughed at their sputtering again.

* * *

Naruto released his travelling bag on the couch of his- Sakura's apartment, now, he supposed. Sakura was already in the kitchen, fixing dinner. He looked around the place. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't had a couch back then. It was amazing what Sakura-chan had managed to fit in the small apartment. He looked at Kyuubi. She had been silent most of the day.

"Welcome to Konoha." He said to her, smiling.

"Thank you!" she answered, seeming pleased.

"That was good acting on your part, Kyuu-chan. Where did you learn to talk like that?"

"I dealt with nobility before. It seemed a good behavior to adopt." She shrugged.

"It was, Kakashi-sensei didn't even dream about it until we revealed ourselves. Thanks for protecting me, by the way."

Kyuubi nodded.

"I'll always protect you…" she said softly, out of his hearing reach.

* * *

When Sakura brought dinner, Naruto could barely keep the excitement under control. Ramen! Ramen, ramen, ramen!

It didn't take long for the table to become animated as the three of them discussed the day's events, laughing at the faces their teachers had made. Eventually, the conversation steered towards Naruto's heritage.

"So, how do you feel, facing the council tomorrow?" Sakura asked, picking on the tempura she had also prepared.

Naruto, who after the initial enthusiasm with the ramen had decided to also nibble the other dishes Sakura had made managed to swallow the mouthful of rice he was eating and answer: "I'm good" he answered. Then after a few moments he amended, "Actually, I'm a bit nervous. I don't know how it's going to be like; I've never been to a Council meeting before."

Sakura set the chopsticks on the table and rested her chin in her palms, thinking a bit.

"It's nothing special. They all stand there, sitting in a circle, around a big table. The representatives of the bank and merchant guild all dressed in their best silk attire's. The civil representative rarely talks, really, unless there's some problem with the people, which usually doesn't happen. Then there are the clan heads: the Hyuuga with their High and mighty attitude, the Aburame with their bugs – Shino's the head now, by the way -, Choji eating, Shikamaru sleeping, Ino hitting him awake, the usual." She smiled at Naruto's laugh.

"You're the head of your clan?" Kyuubi asked.

"Huh, no, that's my mother." Sakura said blinking, "but I'm Tsunade-shishou apprentice so I help her through the meeting. That's why I know how it works."

"Speaking of baa-chan: Why was she being so difficult with your evaluation?" Naruto asked.

Sakura hesitated. Too long apparently, because Naruto fired another question, "Does this have anything to do with what Sasuke said in the forest?" he said softly.

"Y-You heard it…" she stammered.

Naruto nodded. "I understand if you don't want to tell me though… What's wrong?" he asked worried, when she suddenly lost all the color from her face. Sakura swayed dangerously and, in a second, both Naruto and Kyuubi were by her side. Naruto held her gently and took her to the small couch, were they sat.

"Sakura… what happened? What did he do to you? You had a similar reaction in the forest. Why doesn't baa-chan trust your abilities?" Naruto probed calmly.

Sakura looked at him and at Kyuubi alternately. She felt trapped. But Naruto had told her everything about his voyage, shouldn't she show him the same trust?

Suddenly the truth she was trying to hide burst forth and she found herself unable to stop speaking and broke down, as she laid before them everything that had happened after his disappearance: "A-After he killed you, Sasuke started to rant about the Mangekyou's power and how he was going to avenge his family and kill his brother. And then he started on how he would rebuild his clan. A-And…" she paused to swallow a hiccup that threatened to take over, "And then he looked at me and… and…" It became increasingly difficult for her to speak and she seemed to have problems following the storyline, "you were dead and Sai had been knocked unconscious. He grabbed me and immobilized me and… and…" she suddenly bent over, hugged herself and yelled, "HE VIOLATED ME!" she started to cry uncontrollably, the sobs wrecking through her body.

Kyuubi got up so fast it seemed she had took an electric shoot and started pacing back and forth, a furious look on her face. Naruto felt a dark murderous rage settle on his stomach, but the sight of the devastated girl in front of his eyes shunned all the thoughts of revenge away.

If he had thought about it, he wouldn't have known what to do. Fortunately, Uzumaki Naruto acted mostly on impulse and Namikaze Naruto was no different. In a sudden move he got a hold of Sakura and embraced her lovingly. She hesitated for a moment but eventually hugged back, sobbing even harder. After a moment, Kyuubi settled back on the couch and hugged the girl too. The minutes passed without being acknowledged and eventually Kyuubi realized Sakura had enveloped her in the embrace as well. Her grip was extremely strong but no one seemed to mind.

Sakura's sobs became eventually more quiet and Naruto tried to apologize, "I-I'm s"

But Sakura cut him off. Now that she had started, it was easier to speak. She needed to tell him everything; it was like taking poison out of her system.

"Turns out my bloodline took over me then 'cause I don't remember the a-actual… act. A-At first I didn't know what had happened, but Tsunade… Tsunade-shishou ran some medical exams on me and discovered the… the… what he had done." She gulped, "I was terrified of becoming pregnant, but it turns out I didn't need to worry." She gave a little laugh, "When you tackled me in that four tails shroud, a part of your chakra" she indicated to Kyuubi, "seeped into my body. At f-first it was poisonous, but after Sa- after he killed Naruto it changed Nature and became benign. It started to act as an extra immunity. Protecting me from hostile invasions. It destroyed all of his… of his… cells and prevented me from suffering from pregnancy." She wiped her eyes, but tears kept coming.

"When my mother was informed she tried to remove me from being a ninja. My f-father had died on a mission and she didn't want me to suffer the same hardships he had. We had a pretty bad fighting and I ended up leaving home. I had nowhere to go so I came here. It was the only place I felt safe and it reminded me of y-you…" she started to cry again.

"Then at your funeral, Hinata blamed me for your death. My alter-ego took over when she assaulted me and gave her a big thrashing. I could have k-killed her. BUT I WAS THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE DIED BECAUSE I'D GOTTEN YOU KILLED!" she screamed. Her sobs became even more accentuated and she started to give small punches on his chest as all the guilt she had harbored in those three years came back in full force. "MY FAULT! MY FAULT! My fault…" She kept repeating.

Naruto grabbed her fists and said to her seriously, "Don't say that. If anyone is to be blamed for this is him, and I promise you, I'll make him pay for what he did to you!!" he snarled.

Sakura kept shaking her head, refusing to make eye-contact. The tears strained Naruto's shirt but he went back to hug her.

"A-After that I had a mental break-down. I f-felt so depressed I almost killed myself. Ino stopped me, but I couldn't go outside without hearing the comments of pity of the villagers, and Hinata's insinuations about the slut I am!" she sobbed harder still, "Eventually Shikamaru, Ino, Sai and the others worked me back to a relatively stable state. Neji tried, but Hinata became clan head and wanted nothing to do with me so he was forbidden to meet with us when I was around. They forced him to marry her… he l-liked Tenten." She sniffed again.

"I managed to convince Tsunade-shishou to get me back to active duty, but I had trouble. I kept feeling he was behind me, about to take me again. I started to fear the shadows, I fear being a-alone… I was still having trouble in Snow; it got worse with the passing of time. And then you guys got back." She laughed weakly and restarted to cry. Her tears were dry by now, but she kept sobbing. She reinforced her grip on them.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said, "I'm sorry for taking so long. For being away."

"But you came back! You came back." She sobbed.

Eventually Sakura managed to calm down enough to fall asleep, still hugging them. But to Naruto and Kyuubi sleep took a long time coming. Dark thought swirled in their heads. Thoughts o revenge against the Uchiha.

It was past 4 in the morning when they managed to fall asleep. All tangled in the small sofa.

**A/N.: What can I say, reviews inspire me!**

**Anyway, Tempura is a Japanese dish believed to be of Portuguese origin. After I read that on Wikipedia, I just couldn't resist putting it here. Call it my little bit of nationalism. Reviews are appreciated, as always!**


	17. The Legacy of the Wind Wave Reclaimed

Chapter XVII

When Naruto woke up the sun was just starting to rise, covering the eastern sky in tones of red and orange. There were a few clouds around but nothing major. The clock on the wall marked a quarter past six.

Stretching he got up and tried to gently wake Kyuubi up without disturbing Sakura. The only thing he succeeded was in waking both of them with a start.

"Sorry." He murmured to Sakura, "Can I use the bathroom? I want to be at least mildly presentable at the council."

Sakura nodded sleepily and straightened herself on the couch. Naruto got to the bathroom and started washing his face. He could hear voices coming from the other side and supposed they were up for some "girl talk" whatever that was. Looking himself in the mirror he realized he looked a bit rough. Sakura gave a startled little jump when he exited the bathroom, to which he just smiled.

Naruto grabbed a hold of his travelling bag and extracted the black clothes he had used on his journey, conveniently repaired from their damage during their stay in Snow Country. Retrieving the razor Shikamaru had given him, he returned to the mirror. As soon as the door closed the conversation resumed.

Naruto was reminded of the previous night's conversation at the worst moment. The trembling that assaulted him when he remembered Sakura crying was so bad he cut himself in several different places. 'Blasted thing!' he thought, looking disgustedly at the innocent object. He passed a few droplets of water through the face and tried to clumsily comb his hair. He had never done such a thing before. Now that he noticed it, it was really long. The bangs on the side of his face surpassed the ears. Thinking about it, he really resembled the Yondaime. Speaking of which, he really needed to open that box. But that would have to wait until after the Council meeting, he supposed.

Sakura murmured a good morning when he exited the bathroom and asked for them to wait for her. She got washed up real quickly, considering the preconceptions Naruto had about girls and baths.

* * *

Sakura managed a fleeting look at Naruto's frame before a heat she couldn't identify swelled her body and threatened to consume her. She ducked her head to prevent him from seeing the faint blush that had appeared. Gods above, he looked good in that attire! She smiled slightly under the stream of hot water coming from the shower. She could hear the bickering Naruto was making with Kyuubi over the last of the rice balls she had given them for breakfast. She felt so light it was hard to imagine. Kyuubi had had a conversation with her while Naruto had been washing himself and had voiced their support for her and understanding. She felt better for telling them, she felt like laughing all the time since waking up. She also felt like crying in relief: he hadn't left her, hadn't abandoned her. He didn't view her as something dirty. She wouldn't be alone.

Kyuubi looked slightly disgruntled when she stepped back into the kitchen and Naruto was happily munching the rice ball. Apparently he had won the argument.

With a quarter of hour to spare before the appointed time by the Godaime, they made their way to the Hokage tower slowly, savoring the morning breeze in their faces. The pink haired kunoichi couldn't help but notice the way Naruto's dark cloak waved around him with the wind. The cloak's hood obscured his face, hiding his revealing hair. His other clothes, black as well, made it difficult for someone to accurately make out the defining lines of his body. It would be hard to know where to land a good hit without paying close attention to him. She wondered if such an effect had been done on purpose.

Sakura walked with a spring in her step, something that didn't go unnoticed by either of the other two, but decided not to comment on it. The people of the village were starting to wake up. The merchants were the first of course and, as he watched one of them open his grocery store, looking curiously at him and Kyuubi and smiling at Sakura, he was reminded that he had to go to Ichiraku's Ramen today.

They were ushered into the Godaime's office as soon as they announced themselves and found her at her desk with a bottle of sake already beside her.

"Shishou! Drinking so soon in the morning is bad for your health!" Sakura admonished in an inflection she had not used for a long time.

The Godaime looked at her, surprised at her good spirits, before dismissing the comment with a shrug.

"Right on time, Naruto." She said, "We'll head for the Council as soon as I collect the rest of these papers. This reminds me, Kyuubi won't be able to be present. We don't want to call attention to the fact you have a contract with her. In fact I think it's best if we get a way to hide her nature completely." She waited for the vixen's predicted explosion at the prospect of leaving her contractor's side.

"That won't be a problem, baa-chan." Naruto assured her and held his arm to the kitsune's breast. Tsunade watched fascinated as the girl liquefied in a silvery substance that rearranged itself until it resembled a white winter cloak around Naruto.

"Judging for your lack of reaction, I gather you already knew they could do this?" Tsunade asked Sakura. "Well that's good then, we just have to make this." With a hand seal she created a kage-bunshin which henged into Kyuubi. "My kage bunshin will walk back to Sakura's apartment. This way no one will wonder why three people came in and only two got out without me staying here." She explained. The others nodded their understanding. "Now come on!"

As they walked across the corridors the Godaime went on to explain what would most likely happen, "I don't know if Sakura has informed you, but she is my apprentice and helps me through the majority of these councils. The role was initially fulfilled by Shizune but I appointed her as the new head of Konoha Ninja Hospital and, as such, she has no time for these things."

Naruto nodded his understanding, mentioning Sakura had already explained how such meeting usually went, "Sakura-chan gave me a brief over-view, yesterday. She explained me who attends the council and how they are organized."

"Right! Except this is a full council meeting which means there will be some faces that are normally absent. The Hokage's advisors, sensei's former teammates" Naruto realized by sensei she meant the Third Hokage, "Their names are Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Then there's Danzo, a former ninja of great influence. He managed to amass a fair amount of influence during the days of the Great Ninja Wars. When sensei beat him in the race to become the Third Hokage, Danzo created a group he called "Root". Supposedly, its purpose is to make sure the village is kept safe and maintains its superiority in the face of the other Elemental Countries. The organization was official for a fair amount of time until the Fourth's reign came to be." Tsunade paused for a bit, opening a door and letting them exit to a bridge that connected the back of the Hokage Tower to a thinner one, "Danzo's beliefs were in direct contradiction with the Fourth's views of the World so Minato ordered the disbanding of Root. His decision was highly resented, both by Danzo and the advisors. Although officially no more, Jiraya uncovered conclusive evidence of their activity shortly after the Third resumed his duties as Hokage. They are a shadowy organization, meddling, playing behind the others backs. Danzo is the man behind it all. He will undoubtedly try to collect you or, at least, to use you to some extent. Remain on your toes and be weary of him." She counseled him.

Naruto grumbled an agreement.

"Normally, the Hokage takes into measure the council of the advisors, as they hold almost as much influence as him. However, ultimately the final decision is up to me, just like it was up to your father to dissolve Root, and I will make sure you are reinstated both as ninja and head of the Namikaze clan."

They had reached the adjacent building. Tsunade opened the door and guided them through a narrow, scarcely illuminated corridor, parallel to the main one. Upon reaching a small room with just another door she turned to Naruto, "Just so we're clear on this: how is your life-long dream standing, Naruto?"

"I _will_ become Hokage and protect all that are precious to me, baa-chan." Naruto stated with conviction.

Tsunade smiled, "Good. Through this door, we reach the council chamber. All the attendees will be entering from the main entrance. This is a path reserved only to Hokage and their successors. When I call you, you will enter through here. Now you won't be nominated. You have still a long way to go and a lot to prove before I even consider naming you a successor. But hopefully we'll give some people a few heart attacks." The smile grew a tad feral.

Naruto smiled back, "This will rank up there, right next to my painting the Hokage Monument, baa-chan!"

* * *

As Shikamaru entered the Council Room, he was surprised to see the Godaime already standing there. Usually the Hokage was the last one to arrive, always appearing bored beyond recognition. This time however, Tsunade was unexpectedly sharp, eyes boring holes to everyone entering the room. Sakura stood a little behind her, as usual for the apprentice of the Godaime, and held herself unusually straight, a confident stance Shikamaru hadn't seen in her for quite some time. Her eyes also shone with a light that had long been absent and Shikamaru's concern for his friend started to abate somewhat. Considering last day's events, and the fact Sakura was in such good spirits, he was starting to get a good idea of what this meeting was all about.

Contrary to the usual fare, it was really easy for Shikamaru to keep himself awake while waiting for the room to fill. Usually, he arrived early to grab a nap before the meeting started. Because people would already be used to his position by the time the council started, the odds of him getting called to attention for sleeping in a meeting were strikingly small. Now Shikamaru felt his heart thumb in his chest and adrenaline surging across his body. He surveyed the others barely containing a smile, anticipating each reaction the news of Naruto's return would elicit. This, he thought, was what being a ninja was all about. The control of information, the exhilaration of knowing something others didn't. It was really hard not to smirk.

The Godaime didn't waste any time and, once the room was fully occupied, started delivering a speech of the likes she had never done before: "Over five hundred years ago, the Elemental Countries weren't even a speck of dust in our ancestors' minds. Each ninja clan battled each other for supremacy over bits of land and for gaining influence that would assure them better contracts with their clients. Of all the clans, the two more powerful ones were the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. For ages these two clans battled each other for supremacy, sometimes tipping the scale to one side, sometimes to the other. Tired of the endless struggle, my Clan, the Senju Clan, tried to reach a truce with Uchiha. A union under a common flag, a force striving for the same ideals, two clans united into the same family. Uchiha agreed. That was the start of what would later become the Hidden Village in the Leaves. The agreement wasn't smooth and the result of such aggravations was the famous Battle at the Valley of the End, almost three hundred years later. Uchiha Madara was defeated, after appearing from nowhere, as Uchiha Clan's records don't have a single file on him, and Senju Hashirama, my grandfather, was able to cement the village with his role as Hokage without disturbances." The Godaime paused slightly before continuing. Shikamaru could see that several people were wondering just where the hell the conversation would lead to.

"This information is available to anyone who wishes to consult it in the village's library. From here on, though, the story is known only to the members of the Senju family. What no one outside the clan knew was that the Senju Clan had a branch family that had separated the main family generations before the formation of the village. They were known for having extremely pure chakra running throw their tenketsu, powerful enough to actively restrain even the malicious chakra of the most feared tailed beasts. Hashirama also inherited this gift to the point of being able to subdue and control the Bijuu. The Senju Clan often relied on this smaller family in order to ensure the stability of the village, even before the creation of the Kage system. They were known as the Namikaze, the Wind Wave Clan."

At this, several heads lit up in comprehension. Shikamaru himself recognized the Fourth Hokage's family name without difficulty. Every child from a clan knew that name at heart, grew up hearing stories about the Fourth.

"Their dedication to the village was unparalleled and they were often deployed in secret, deciding wars before they began. Due to this, they gradually diminished until only one member remained alive. That member died several years ago."

Shikamaru nodded absently. The Godaime was, of course, talking of the Namikaze Minato. Several people around him seemed to have come to the same conclusion. A small movement called his attention as Danzo spoke for the first time: "Is there a point to this, Tsunade?" he asked contemptuously.

"Indeed." Tsunade answered, "I am happy to announce the return of the Namikaze Clan to Konohagakure." An excited murmur rose in the ninja ranks. Danzo lifted an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"A survivor of that heroic clan has been discovered: The son of the famous Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato." She reached under her desk and pressed a button, activating a light sign in the waiting room behind her. The curtains behind her back waved, as a shadowy figure assumed position, outside the reach of light. "I am of course talking about Namikaze Naruto." She finished, while Naruto took a step forth, revealing his features to the room.

He wore dark black clothes, with a snow white cloak with a mask Shikamaru recognized as being Kyuubi. A sudden silence filled the place as the ones present there registered the words of the Hokage but what probably stunned them more was the striking resemblance between the man standing in front of them and the Yondaime, something only reinforced by his overgrown hair.

Ino actually screamed "WHAT?!!", while Choji choked on the kaki peanuts he had been ravishing. Hyuuga Hinata became ghostly white. Shikamaru felt like laughing out loud as he reclined into the chair and put his arms behind his head, dreamily savouring the moment. He was surprised by Naruto's connection to the Fourth, of course, but he had to admit Tsunade had played her hand masterfully.

"This is ridiculous!" Homura spit, "You're trying to convince us that Uzumaki Naruto is not only back from the dead but also the Yondaime's heir? Boldness has its limits, Tsunade. There is no way this brat is the son of the Fourth."

"He is right in front of you. Several ninja, including the Hyuuga clan present here, can vouch for the fact that the man present here is the real deal and is under no Genjutsu of any sort." Tsunade argued, "As for his relation to his father, the proof you are asking for will now be delivered by my assistant, Haruno Sakura." She signaled the pink haired girl how started to quickly and precisely distributing several papers to the various council members. "The letter from his father left to the Third explaining his upbringing, as well as the genetic tests taken upon his return to this village yesterday. I went to great pains to have them concluded before this meeting. You will understand," she added somewhat maliciously, "if I don't supply you with the originals. This is, after all, very sensitive information."

Danzo looked down at the analysis presented to him by the Chuunin. It was unmistakable, the tests were conclusive and the seal in the Fourth's letter was authentic. As much as he despised the woman, even he had to admit Tsunade would never forge such evidence. He would have to play the next move carefully.

Homura, however, didn't seem convinced. The man had always been headstrong and sometimes hot-headed. His anger was probably as much related as the fact Naruto had come from the way designated for Hokage as much as for who had come through. He was a bit like Naruto actually: "I refuse to belief this. The Fourth would never do what he did if he was actually his child. There is also the matter of what he bears. We cannot allow him to take control of the Clan considering his past history."

"You are talking about the sealing of the Kyuubi." Naruto stated flatly. There were several startled gasps from the younger generation of ninja.

Homura looked at him in shock before lashing out at him: "Do you have any idea of what you just did? You broke a double S class secret. The _only _double S-class secret in Konoha! You will be killed for it."

"Actually, as the demon's former jailer or, I have complete impunity with regards to the secret. My status as Jinchuuriki makes me, along with the current Hokage, the only one who can break the secret to others on my own judgement. If you had bothered to read the fine print on the Third's orders, you would have known that, Homura-san." Naruto calmly refuted.

Danzo visibly perked up at this, "What do you mean, 'former' jailer?" he asked, ignoring the indignant noises coming from the councilor.

"I mean that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is no more."

More excited murmurs rose, this time actually accompanied by several barely restrained woops of joy from the merchant guild and civil faction of the council.

"Could you please elaborate?" Danzo asked, being surprisingly polite.

"Certainly: After Uchiha Sasuke's attempt to kill me, I was dissolved by the Lifestream. It attacked the Fox and dissolved it into nothing."

"Is this possible?" asked one of the ninja heads, a man Naruto didn't recognize.

"Of course." Koharu answered dismissively, surprisingly corroborant of Naruto's version, "There is an extensive library of studies on the Lifestream available. It has been known to corrode almost everything in the path it condenses in, particularly those of malevolent nature. The Nine-Tails would provide a preferable target, big enough to actually permit the host's survival and materialization. It has been recorded as happening with some living animals, although it would be a first concerning a living human." She said eyeing Naruto with appraisal. "It is useless for ninja techniques though, which is why it is not studied further anymore."

Naruto nodded his thanks to the old woman before continuing, "I materialized in the farthest shore of the southern continent. It was a long way back." He explained. Koharu nodded slowly in acceptance of his explanation, with the calmness that sometimes came with age.

"If this pointless discussion is finished, perhaps Naruto could assume his place in this Council before we move to the remaining matters: the formalization of his upbringing and delivery of his inheritance." Tsunade gestured for Naruto to assume a seat that had long been vacant, beside Ino and Shikamaru. The girl gaped at him as Shikamaru clapped his back, hounding him with questions before Danzo spoke again.

"Regarding the management of the Clan and inheritance, I believe Namikaze Naruto is still a Genin?" he asked innocently.

"That is correct." Homura confirmed, grudgingly.

"It is my conviction then that a guardian should be issued to the young shinobi, regarding the management of his inheritance. I would also advise the preparation of a multiple marriage to ensure the reinstatement of the Namikaze Clan." He paused and regally leaned back, "Now I'm sure that the Godaime would make an extremely capable guardian but she has her hands full with the duties of a Hokage. As such I would volunteer myself as the young man's guardian."

Several Shinobi lifted their heads in alarm but Naruto had something to say as well: "Fortunately, Danzo-san, such measures are not necessary. Although I am still a Genin, I am old enough to assume my duties as the head of the Namikaze Clan."

Danzo frowned, "I was under the impression you had graduated with the younger heads present here."

"That is correct."

"But they are here only because they have a ninja rank high enough to be considered adults in the eyes of the village. Otherwise they would not be old enough to assume their duties." Danzo argued.

"You may be correct in that, Danzo-san." Naruto answered pleasantly, "However, because I was retained two times during the final exam at the academy, I am older than my fellow graduates and am already at the age to be officially considered an adult in the eyes of the village." Revenge was so sweet. "Rest assured, if I have any doubt regarding the clan business, I'll be sure to consult you."

Danzo actually ignored the veiled sarcasm, perturbed by the turn of events. He couldn't believe their actions to restrict the then young Jinchuuriki had been responsible for denying him the opportunity to lay a hand on the young Namikaze. Danzo had little doubts the man wouldn't give him any more trust than his father had given. Sighing in defeat he sagged in his chair and turned off from the conversation.

'Hah!' Tsunade almost shouted in gleeful victory as she read the emotions in the old ninja. Seizing the opportunity she continued the process that would give Naruto what was due to him: "As is custom, a public announcement will be made in the boards of the Hokage Tower, Merchant Guild and Civilian Representative Office, for anyone interested in reading it, stating the return of Namikaze Naruto and the revival of the Clan. You inherit your family's estate, as well as several possessions you will be able to retrieve at my office once this meeting is over. The Council's seat you have already taken possession of and a set of rules explaining what is expected of you will be delivered to you once you are settled in your new home." Tsunade grabbed a large stamp and slammed it on the top of several papers in front of her. "With this I conclude today's meeting. Thank you for your presence here."

What followed next was a rather surreal moment for Naruto, as several Clan Heads introduced himself to him before leaving the room. His head was soon spinning from the assorted names being given to him. Several civilians, where the Yellow Flash of Konoha had been the most appreciated, most from the Merchant Guild and the Civilian Office, also stayed behind to greet him formally, displaying a level of politeness and reverence that had him blinking in confusion. He wasn't used to this.

When the mob finally disbanded, he was treated to the vision of his colleagues. Choji and Shikamaru greeted him, while Ino started to rant at him: "Naruto! You're alive. Did Sakura know? Sakura did you know this?"

Sakura confirmed, "He's been with us for months now; Arrived at Snow Country when we were running the mission there."

"WHAT?! Shikamaru! You KNEW? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!!"

"Meh… It was too troublesome." He said bored. But Naruto caught the fleeting smile of satisfaction in his face.

"Hey, where are the rest of the guys?" Naruto asked.

"Shino is on a patrol mission with Kurenai and Kiba. Hinata is the head now so they sent poor Neji in her place." Ino said.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion, "But I thought Neji was with Team Gai."

"Yeah, well sometimes they do something like this. The Hyuuga clan doesn't take no for an answer and Neji has to obey their every demand. This at least hasn't changed since you disappeared, Naruto…"

"I'd have thought he'd be in a better condition, married to Hinata an all. Which reminds me: How odd is that anyway? I mean, weren't their fathers brothers?"

"It happens frequently between clans as secluded as the Hyuuga. In order to maintain the purity of blood and all." Choji said.

"Surprisingly Hiashi was against it. The remainder of the Clan pressured him to do it." Ino commented.

"Hiashi's Hinata's father." Shikamaru clarified, seeing Naruto's confused face.

"Man, what a screwed up family…" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, good thing you're gonna be Hokage. Then you'll put them in the right track. I swear Homura-san almost pissed himself when he saw you entering through the veil!" Ino laughed.

"You know, this calls for a celebration!" Choji said, "How about some barbecue?"

Naruto was about to accept when a sudden thought crossed his head, "Tch…" he made, lifting a hand to his forehead, "Sorry Choji. As much as I'd like to accept I can't. Baa-chan asked me to fill a report on my journey and I have to deliver it until this evening. I don't know how I'll find the time to eat." He murmured, worried.

Shikamaru gave a sudden jolt, "CRAP! I completely forgot about the report. I gotta talk to Hokage-sama!"

"And as for the food," Naruto heard Sakura's voice saying before her hand came to rest on her shoulder, "you can do the report in the apartment. I'll fix something for you." She gave him a bright smile as Ino dangerously narrowed her eyes.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, watching Shikamaru grovelling in front of Tsunade, "Can we have ramen?"

She gave him a swat on the head, "No way! You already ate ramen yesterday. You can't keep eating only that, it'll be bad for your health."

"Oi, Sakura," Ino started sweetly, "Mind to tell me what's going on betwe-"

"Oh man, I've got until this evening to finish this report or I'll return to the Academy during mornings for teaching for the next two months!" Shikamaru approached, interrupting her with his complaining.

"It's your fault for being so damn lazy." The Godaime said, appearing behind him, "I told you I wanted that report and I wouldn't accept any excuses."

"What?" Shikamaru almost yelled in outrage, "Godaime-sama! _You_ were the one who called a full Council meeting! I can't skip something like this; there's no way I'd be able to finish it in time."

"I don't care if you have the time or not, I want that report this evening on my desk!"

"Slave-driver!" Shikamaru grumbled.

"One more word Nara, and I'll make sure you'll actively regret opening your mouth to begin with." Tsunade warned. She then turned to Naruto, shifting the files on her hands to hand him two pieces of cloth. She smiled, "Your Hitai-ite," she said indicating the one with the black cloth, "The white one is for your partner. You can give it to her once you return. I've had her assigned to active duty along with you and am going to induce her into the same squad you'll be placed."

Naruto felt a jolt of emotion through his body that had nothing to do with his feelings. But he couldn't help the smiled that slipped into his features as he grabbed the forehead protector and adjusted in to his head. "Thanks, baa-chan!"

"Right, come on: follow me to my office. I'll give you the rest of your things there." She said.

Naruto followed her with Sakura as Ino whispered urgently to Shikamaru, "Which companion is she talking about, Shika?"

Shikamaru sighed.

* * *

Naruto threw himself into a chair in front of Tsunade's desk. Kyuubi sat on a nearby one, while Sakura claimed the chair on the opposing side.

"Phew! Good thinking back, there Kyuu-chan! I don't think I'd have been able to answer that old crow Danzo if it weren't for you…" Naruto sighed.

"I was used to the politics of the clans before my Fall. It seems things haven't changed that much in all these years, even with the introduction of the Kage system." She explained modestly, although she couldn't hide the satisfaction at her usefulness. She grabbed her Hitai-ite and adjusted it to her head, in a way such that the cloth covered most of it. "How does it look?"

"Smashing!" Naruto answered with a grin.

"Why did you chose to use in such a fashion, anyway?" Sakura asked the Kitsune.

"My tails can easily be modified to resemble simple pieces of cloth. It doesn't even need Genjutsu; they are simply manifestations of energy after all. Them assuming tail-like forms can even be considering a Jutsu. What would happen, though, if during a battle or because of some distraction, my ears were to appear? This way they remain hidden and because the cloth extends all the was to the back of the head it even hides the places where my human ears are supposed to be." The Vixen explained.

"Huh?" Sakura made, confused.

The Kitsune took the forehead protector off and drove her bangs of hair out of the way to show her the line of her jaw. There were no human ears connected to the hinge of the jaw. Instead, fox-like ears extended up until, the top of her head. Sakura stared mystified as the girl put the Hitai-ite back again.

"I'm a Fox-girl, what were you expecting?" she appeared amusing by the pink haired girl's surprise.

The bang of a door signaled the return of the Godaime, cutting their conversation short. Tsunade looked at Kyuubi and said, "I see Naruto already gave you the hitai-ite. He's a bit forgetful at times; Not his best trait…"

"Hey!"

"Interesting style. Not that it matters." Took a group of keys from her pocket and handed them to Naruto, "These open your family's estate. This one is for the main gate, this one for the house, and the others you'll have to find out, since I don't really know. The rest of your stuff is in the house. I already gave you everything I have." She then changed the subject, "Since you're back into active status and also got us a new member, I'll be assigning you to a platoon. We'll wait until Jiraya comes back to test you and see if you've got the qualities to become a Chuunin. Then I'll have to decide whether we make you go to the Chuunin exams or not… I'm not sure on that one yet."

Naruto agreed. Trying to get Tsunade to weasel him off the exams would only get her to make hi attend them, anyway.

"That said, you've handled yourself pretty well in there! Not everyone is able to stay up against Danzo. Congratulations!"

"Speaking of the Council, baa-chan, what did you mean Uchiha Madara fought your grandfather? Kyuubi tells me he was the one to steal her tails and that was over 600 years ago. No one lives that long!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I don't know. The Uchiha have neither scrolls nor tablets on the creation of their clan and records on Uchiha Madara are inexistent. The only reason we know he existed is because he fought Hashirama." Tsunade answered.

"Existed or exists. We don't know if he died." Sakura pointed out.

"True. But if he's still alive he's kept to himself so he's not our problem." The Godaime answered, "Which reminds me. I'll be assigning you to Naruto's new team Sakura. Now I'll only have to find someone who can act as squad leader for you…" Sakura's smile was blinding. Almost Gai like.

"How about Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe but I'll decide on that later. Since Sakura returned recently from an extended mission, her next five days will be considered R&R. That's Recovery and Relaxation, you brat!" Tsunade answered to Naruto's far-away look. She grabbed the ever-present bottle of sake and took a sip, "That's all brats. Remember to have that report on my desk by the end of the day, Naruto." She said as they stood up, "Do it seriously enough and I'll even let you take Sakura's same five days off."

"You were gonna do that anyways." Naruto replied easily as he exited the office, "Later, baa-chan!"

"Heh."

* * *

News travelled fast in Konoha. In the few minutes they had spent inside the office of the Godaime, the rumor that Naruto was back had already circled the village several times, if the amount of people that were waiting for them at the exit of the Hokage Tower was any indication. With such attention came the first chock Naruto would receive for being known across his village. The news that he had survived the purging of the Lifestream and had come back from the dead were already taking the first steps in turning into legend and many fantastic stories were starting to arise.

With such fame came the dreadful experience of having several "fan girls". The fact that he was now admitted being the son of the Fourth only aggravated matters and Naruto had to literally fight his way out and flee through the rooftops to escape the mob of civilian girls that had taken a liking of him. The fact that Kyuubi and Sakura were unconsciously emitting vicious killer intent to any girl that stepped across their possessiveness radius probably helped him escape.

After reaching Sakura's apartment came the aggravating task of getting the blasted report done. The pile of sheets of paper kept growing as Naruto and Kyuubi discussed together at Sakura's kitchen table and poured three years worth of experience into the file. As they advanced in their work, Naruto would explain to Sakura several aspects of the journey he had left behind on his earlier storytelling.

"The 'Grandes' are Berasylle's warriors. They don't have ninja there, but they sure were capable of giving me a thrashing. They taught me how to survive in the Desert, how to find food and water amid all the sand. Suranamanara is nothing like Wind Country's desert. It's much harsher and unforgiving. Even Kyuu-chan became tired, although that was probably because she still wasn't used to human form… Those things were hideous. We have no idea what they were. One of them grabbed a hold of Kyuu-chan and started to suck her power. It was sheer luck we managed to escape that one, I at least had no real idea of what to do… The safety measures went off and blasted the whole facility. That explosion is probably what Ero-sennin went to investigate…"

Sakura heard it all as a child might hear a bed time story, completely loosing track of time. When she looked at the time it was already past lunch time and she got up to fix them something to eat, leaving Naruto and Kyuubi to their work. In the time it took her to prepare the rice balls and the pickles and for getting some tea done, Naruto and Kyuubi had somehow managed to get these strange lines across their faces. Sakura was left puzzled for a few moments after she brought the food to the table until she noticed Naruto absently scratching his chin with the pen he was using, a gesture sometimes mirrored by the Vixen girl.

At some point in the later afternoon, the news of Naruto's return had obviously reached Umino Iruka's ears because the Chuunin barged into Sakura's apartment and proceeded to certify himself that Naruto was indeed there. To save time and trouble, Naruto simply had him read his report instead of explaining his adventures to the older ninja. Since Tsunade had told him to hide Kyuubi's true nature altogether, he had her simply join him in Berasylle so there was no danger in letting the kind Chuunin see the files. The result of this was having Iruka proofread the report, sometimes remarking on certain passages in the text that Naruto then rectified.

The scarred Chuunin bid them goodbye when Naruto and the girls prepared to take the report to the Hokage.

"Thank you for accompanying Naruto all the way. He can use more loyal friends as you!" Iruka had said to Kyuubi. The girl seemed oddly emotional to the statement and thanked him in return with a thick voice.

Outside the light was almost gone and several of the streetlamps were already starting to activate. The morning breeze had returned and Naruto, this time uncovered, was able to appreciate it to the fullest. His fans had apparently relented and had decided it was getting too late for "Naruto hunting" because they saw no sign of them. There were lots of people around, mostly making their way home or to the restaurants and most of those who recognized them made a point to get sidetracked to greet Naruto. Some asked kind questions to Kyuubi and expressed their wishes of luck to her as a ninja, which profoundly seemed to disturb the Kitsune. There were still some, though, who seemed unconvinced that Naruto had been "cleansed" and still believed him to be the "Demon Brat". These were mostly the older ones, who found it hard to let go of old habits and resented Kyuubi's attack more deeply than most. At some point in their voyage to the Hokage Tower, Naruto and Sakura had to sandwich the Vixen between them to actively refrain the girl from assaulting such people.

When they were about to enter the tower, the three of them encountered Shikamaru, who immediately started complaining about how much he had had to write on the report. Upon seeing that Naruto's report divided into three different stashes of paper and that each one was several times higher than his own, Shikamaru shut himself up.

The Godaime accepted them with a smile, although her eyes bulged a little at the size of Naruto's report. No doubt she was starting to regret having him write it. After she gave them their leave, Shikamaru practically ran outside, as if to make sure he was outside before the Godaime had the chance to assign him any other duty.

**A/N.: Fine, so maybe the size of that report is a bit exagerated. So what?**

**Obviously, the timeline here is completely different from the Manga. I guess I should say it's Alternate Universe, though I find it pointless to do so... I mean, it's fanfiction: unless you do a novelization of the Manga, it's always alternate universe. And even in the case you do male a novelization I have my doubts... :-P  
**

**Also, be free to think up the kinds of stories about Naruto's adventure the villagers might be making up. Keep it short, though, the type you can resume in one sentence. I'll put some of them in the story at some point, if you do it!**

**Regarding F.O.X. Chronicles, Since some people expressed interest in it being continued, I'll do it. It will take a will to resume though, as I have to get the plot straight first...  
**


	18. Butting Heads With Kyuubi

Chapter XVIII

Tsunade smiled as she read the report Shikamaru's students had made. They were childish, of course, but were already starting to bear the professionalism of the Jonin's reports, which spoke volumes about Shikamaru's teaching abilities. The Godaime doubted he had covered any kind of lesson on report filling. It was more likely that the files in her hands were the results of the lazy ninja rubbing off on his students.

They were still kids though, as evidenced by the whining Jiro had made in his report about Sakura's threatening to beat him into oblivion after he had been caught trying to spy on them, shortly after Naruto's arrival on the scene. The boy also seemed extremely awed with the blonde, a sentiment only mirrored, or perhaps even surpassed by the drooling idolization the girls in Shikamaru's squad made of Sakura.

Satisfied with the report, Tsunade hid the files in one of her desk's drawers and reinforced it with several protection seals, to make sure no one would be able to access them. She then grabbed the Hokage hat and exited her office, leaving for her late evening stroll across the village, a habit she had picked up from her sensei. She would read Naruto's report when she returned, Tsunade thought.

* * *

Sakura wasn't quite sure of how she had gotten talked into this. But Naruto had seemed so eager she just couldn't have said no. Besides, after months of absence, the provisions in her apartment were rather scarce so now here she was, sitting in front of Ichiraku's Ramen table.

"Three Bowls of Miso Ramen, Old Man!" Naruto asked loudly.

Sakura swatted him on the head, "Baka! Don't ask for others' meals on your own volition!"

"But Sakura-chaan…" he whined, "Miso ramen is the best flavored ramen ever! You have to start with one of those!"

"I HATE miso ramen!" Sakura pressed.

Naruto faked a horrified expression, "No…" he said in a clear attempt at denial, "No, it's not possible. You have to like miso! You have to! Look me in the eyes! Look at me!" he insisted.

Feeling a bit hot in the cheeks, Sakura did as he told her. Naruto squinted his eyes and wiggled his fingers in front of her face, "You like miso… you like miso… you _love_ miso! When I snap my fingers, you will become a miso ramen addicted, rivaled only by the amazing Naruto!" and he snapped them, "Did it work?"

Sakura couldn't help but smile as Naruto laughed while turning back to the table.

The noise they had been making attracted Teuchi's daughter, Ayame: "I'm sorry, can I help- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" she made when she recognized Naruto. She disappeared from the stand as quickly as lightning. Naruto tried to look for her but was immediately tackled by the woman, who had meanwhile run around the stand and was now on the same side they were.

"Naruto!" she screamed joyfully. "I knew you couldn't have died! I just knew! DAD!" she yelled to the interior of the stand, "DAD! COME HERE QUICK! YOU'VE GOT TO SEE WHO'S HERE!"

Teuchi's head appeared from behind a door. "What is it?"

"LOOK!"

"The Yondaime be praised! Naruto!" the Old Man rounded the stand and also came to their side. He started laughing in the rough voice that was so peculiar to him, patting Naruto's shoulder all the while. "I always knew you wouldn't have gone off so easily! Glad you came back, my boy. What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Old Man!" Naruto smiled, "I had to take the long way around."

"Ah, well you're back now, that's what matters!"

"Make your choice. It's on the house today!" Ayame said, having returned to her place.

"Really? Thanks Ayame-neechan!"

"I want two bowls of miso ramen for me and Kyuu-chan here. She's a friend I picked up along the way and is going to be part of my squad now." He explained to the cook, "That grumpy lady over there doesn't like miso…" he jokingly added in a confidential tone to Teuchi.

"Noo, really?" the Old cook asked in disbelief, entering the game.

Sakura sighed and shook her head and gave it up as a lost cause. Turning to Ayame she said, "One bowl of miso ramen too…"

"Yes! Sakura-chan's seen the light!"

The attendants of the stand shared a collective laugh. Naruto kept smiling satisfied that the owners of Ichiraku weren't going to press him for more details. They were happy enough just for him being back, the rest were just details.

Several movements behind them called his attention through the Flow and he identified two of them as Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei. The other he couldn't make out. Naruto turned on his seat to see who they were.

Accompanying the two mentioned men was Team 10 and Gai with his students, all of which smiled at Naruto when they realized he had noticed. Asuma approached the blonde Genin and clapped his shoulder, "We heard the news! Shikamaru explained all about your adventures. Good job!" the bearded Jounin exclaimed.

Naruto shot a worried glance at Shikamaru who shook his head slightly, assuring him he had said nothing about Kyuubi.

Indeed, the next words proved him right as Gai said in his booming voice, "YES! Most youthful of you, Naruto! You have truly demonstrated the Power of Youth to all the infidels in this village!"

"YOSH!" Lee screamed behind his sensei, no doubt getting ready for another of their long rants. Fortunately Tenten seemed to realize this as well because she quickly took a step to the front and greeted Naruto loudly, before asking in her direct manner: "Who's your friend?"

The other two immediately shut themselves up, eyeing the Vixen girl curiously.

"She's a friend of mine I met in the Southern continent. She crossed half the world with me and helped me quite a bit. Baa-chan just made her a leaf ninja this morning, along with my reinstatement."

"Yosh! Welcome to the ninja corps!" Gai bellowed, "I congratulate myself on gaining such a youthful addiction to the village! If you want I shall teach you the Path of Youth and turn you into a monument to the Friendship you have showed to Naruto!"

"JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" came a voice from one of the buildings down the road.

Kyuubi's eyes seemed to be trying to bulge out of their sockets, "What?" She asked.

Naruto decided to stop before Gai could gain even more momentum since he didn't seem about to stop, even with the angry villager's intervention. The twinkle in his and Lee's eyes was getting to a dangerous level and he could sense Kakashi preparing an emergency escape, just in case. Hell, even the Flow seemed to be edging away from them.

"Er… That won't be necessary." He said, raising his hands in a placating manner, "Kyuu-chan's proficient in battle, she's helped me before! They do have martial arts back where she's from, and baa-chan as judged her capable." It was a small little lie.

"Oh, your name's Kyuu?" Tenten asked brightly, "That's sort of strange, it sounds just like our number nine. And it seems a boy's name!"

Kyuubi frowned, "That's as a girlish name as you can find in Berasylle, my hometown."

"Oh no, no, I- I didn't want to seem rude, I just found it curious, that's all." Tenten quickly amended; worried she might have offended the Kitsune.

"Don't worry Tenten: Kyuu-chan's been with me for three years and I'm still alive. She doesn't get offended that easily." This elicited some chuckles, included a much more collected one, which drew Naruto's attention to the fact that Neji was also there.

"Neji? I thought Hinata didn't allow you to come near Sakura…"

Sakura cringed slightly and Kyuubi actually slapped her hand to the forehead. Neji seemed very uncomfortable, considering he rarely let any kind of emotion step through his barriers. Finally managing to get his face under control he answered, "The strain between the Haruno family and my Clan is regrettable, Namikaze-sama, but it surpasses my powers to try and do something about it. Nor is it my place to speak of such things."

Naruto scowled, "Why the hell are you calling me sama?"

Neji frowned, "You _are_ the Head of the Namikaze Clan. Proper protocol clearly states that I must address you in such way. It is respectful."

"This coming from the guy who wouldn't even deign to talk like an equal to me in the Chuunin exams?"

"I'm deeply sorry for that, Namikaze-sama. Allow me to give my deepest apolo-"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the crap and have some ramen."

* * *

Naruto sighed slightly when his head hit the pillow. Sakura had wanted him to have the bed on the grounds that the apartment used to be his, but Naruto had repeatedly declined the offer. Knowing that when it came to a battle of wills Sakura would be clearly outmatched, she settled for preparing two beds on the floor for him and Kyuubi to sleep in.

Sakura started sleeping after a while and Naruto, not wanting to disturb her, opted to speak to Kyuubi through their mind-link, 'You've been awfully quiet after the ramen, Kyuu-chan. Any reason for that?'

Kyuubi took a while to answer and, when she did, she did it slowly as if choosing her words with care, 'I found myself… questioning whether the three years we took to come back were or weren't long enough…'

'What?!' Naruto asked surprised. What the hell was Kyuubi trying to get at?

'It seems that all the progress we made during these three years eroded completely in just the amount of time it took for you to _inhale_ the first cup of ramen…' the Kitsune stated flatly.

Naruto rose on his elbows, 'What? Look I don't unders-'

'My point is that all the mental maturity you've seemed to acquire during the trip back evaporated completely just because your friends visited you in a ramen stand! What the hell were you thinking, asking personal question regarding _clan internal affairs_ to a person that would clearly be in trouble for being found there with Sakura, let alone discussing such matters with an outsider to the clan?' Kyuubi's voice had become harsher with every sentence and by the end of the speech was almost spitting, 'You need to think before you act. You're a clan head, idiot; appearances are extremely important when dealing with politics, and if you want to reduce the chances of being pushed aside by the other families then you need to learn that the best thing to do when it comes to Clan matters is to KEEP. YOUR. MOUTH. SHUT!'

'So I'm back to being stupid?' he asked hotly, 'So what if I want to be a little laid back around my friends? You got a problem with that, or are you just jealous?'

Kyuubi's rage was such she actually sat, 'It has nothing to do with that you dimwit!! If you don't pay attention to what you say around certain topics, you might end up losing your friends altogether!' Naruto turned his back to her, 'Are you listening to me?!' She couldn't believe it. The stupid idiot had blocked her out of the link! 'I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!!'

There was no answer and after a while Naruto's breathing became compassed and heavier, as if he had fallen asleep. Kyuubi let out a jerky sigh and got down, facing away from him. Her throat felt constricted and her eyes burned. She tried to calm down and have a bit of sleep in an effort to sooth her nerves.

* * *

Sakura was sleeping peacefully when she felt a sudden pull that jerked her awake in a matter of milliseconds. Kyuubi was in front of her, frantic and worried. She had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept fitfully.

"W-What's the matter?" she had never seen the Kitsune so distressed and she was starting to feel worried just by looking at her.

In a constricted voice that seemed in the verge of crying the Vixen girl answered her, "Naruto's gone. We had a discussion yesterday night after you fell asleep and we got sort of angry at each other. When I woke up today he was nowhere to be seen and I can't sense him anywhere!" The white haired girl grabbed the sides of her head, moaning slightly and starting to pace back and forth in the middle of the room, "He cut our mental link; I can't reach him!" she despaired.

Sakura massaged her temples in an effort to concentrate, "OK, OK. Let me just get dressed." She jumped out of the bed and started to fish for clothes, talking all the while, "Naruto's pretty simple to find once you know how his mind works. When he's pissed off he usually seeks solace in order to cool his head. First place to check is the training ground. If he needs to let off some steam that's the place to find him."

"What if he's not there?" Kyuubi asked shakily.

"Then we try the Hokage monument and the river." She finished adjusting her boots, "Let's go!"

They didn't find him at the Hokage Monument and he wasn't at Sakura's guessed places either.

"What did you guys fight about?" She asked starting to worry a little.

"I… I berated him for not thinking before acting when he asked those questions at the Hyuuga. I _might _have been a little harsher than necessary and he didn't take it too well…" Kyuubi answered.

Sakura involuntarily sighed. "Kyuu-chan – What?" she asked at the surprise apparent in the kitsune's face at the way she had addressed her, "I can't very well call you Kyuubi in front of everyone else can I?... Naruto can be… difficult some times."

"He never behaved like this before."

"Of course not. You two were alone, both trying to return to his home village. You had a goal to keep yourselves occupied and you couldn't very well achieve it if you were constantly fighting each other, don't you think?" she asked rhetorically, "But now you are back, and Naruto finds himself back to a place where people hold certain _expectations_ of his behavior. You can bet the owners of Ichiraku would not have been so quick to accept your return if he had not acted the goofy way they at least expected him to. I'm not saying what he did was right. He does need to be more careful with what he says. But don't you think people would find it strange if he suddenly started to act mature and knowledgeable about stuff like clan business? Something he has no experience in?"

"But I do! And I've been trying to explain to him that-"

"Exactly! _You_ do. But he does not, and one day as a clan head doesn't give him the time to suddenly know everything about it. You guys can inheritably speak with your minds, and thus you could provide him with the information he needed in that particular moment, but the people don't know that. And they can't know it, if your Nature is to be kept a secret. You have to give him the time to actually at least seem to learn it naturally and allow him to make some mistakes too. Naruto isn't perfect; he doesn't have thousands of years of knowledge at his disposal!"

The Vixen girl looked at her for a few moments. Then she kneeled down and pressed her hands to the head before sighing, "I know. I'm only trying to help him as much as I can before I have to move away…"

Sakura frowned, "What do you mean, 'move away'?"

"I told you, at some point he is bound to leave me behind just as all others. My word will start to count less and less for him until he practically ignores me for the rest of his life."

Sakura was starting to feel a bit angry, "So this is all what this is about? You're afraid of being abandoned and weave your own frustrations into him by masking it with the pretext of wanting to teach him as much as you can before it happens? Do you even realize the strain he's under? Returning to a village that despised him just to suddenly have everyone idolize him only because he is the son of the famed Fourth Hokage?! Do you know what it feels like? To try to live up to everyone's expectations while feeling you don't even know yourself? He was thought to be an orphan until the day before yesterday! Now he suddenly has all his past dropped on his shoulders and everyone expects him to just shrug it off, even you, who should understand him better than most!"

"But it's already happening; Don't you see?" the Kitsune pleaded.

Sakura looked at her with contempt, "If you truly know Naruto, you know he never abandons his friends."

A few droplets dropped from Kyuubi's downcast face until she lifted her head to face Sakura, asking, "I always bonded with grown man, who already knew the workings of society; they were the ones who taught me. I take shape upon the age of the one who contracts with me; I've never been an adolescent!" Her face scrunched in pain, "I don't know what to do!"

Sakura felt her anger abate in spite of herself, "Talk to him." She said softly, "But really talk, don't make demands or expect him to understand. He was never in this situation either. And tell him why you demand so much of him too, that's probably what's bugging him the most: that he might not be good enough for your expectations."

"H-How do you know that?" Kyuubi asked shakily, getting to her feet.

"It's how I felt most of the time before you guys came back." Sakura replied flatly. Then she sighed again, "I wish I knew where Yamato-taichou is. He could use is Earth Jutsu as a radar to track Naruto down."

Kyuubi laughed a little, wiping the tears with her arm. "Of course, I should have thought of that! I was so worried for not being able to instinctively know where he was I didn't even remember that." She made a hand seal and one of her tails pierced the ground as she closed her eyes. Sakura almost felt the Kitsune's heartbeat when she suddenly opened her eyes, "I found him! He's that way!" she exclaimed pointed to a point in the eastern part of the forest surrounding Konoha.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked frowning. What the hell was he doing there?

"Yes! Let's go!" the other girl insisted.

They found Naruto atop of the roof of a small cottage in a clearance in the middle of the Forest. Once they were near enough Naruto's voice was carried over to them, carrying an edge of hostility Sakura was not used to hear in him, "What? Not even here I can get a moment to myself? What're you doing here, came to throw my defects to my face again?" He looked at them with hard eyes, "And this time you even brought Sakura! Are you here to help her pointing out how stupid I am, Sakura? You used to be quite good at it in the past, if I remember correctly…"

Sakura's breath was caught in her throat when she heard that. Her hands trembled involuntarily. Why was he being like this?

Kyuubi had, apparently, lost all restraint in her words again, "Look at you! She just helped me find you, she's said nothing and you're already accusing her! Why are you being like this?" she snarled. In a flash of movement she was next to him and in the next moment her fist had connected with his face. Naruto was thrown back into the trees, smashing logs like nothing was in his way. Without even giving time for Sakura to assess the situation, Kyuubi had already disappeared into the trees, following his trail.

Sakura darted through the forest, following the signs of destruction. After ten minutes of chase she arrived to a point where a river fell in a waterfall down a great precipice. Sakura knew some people used this place as a vacation spot. Now, though, was not the right time of the year for that and the area stood void of people.

Kyuubi and Naruto were engaged in some sort of street fighting, with lots of punches and kicks but without the finesse that usually accompanied ninja fights. It seemed as if they were intent on inducing as much damage to each other as possible, disregarding any attempt to dodge. Sakura realized they were exchanging jibes while trading blows.

"I'm sick of your high and mighty attitude!" Naruto yelled.

"Oh! Look who's talking: Mr. I-Can't-Hear-A-Critic-About-My-Character" Kyuubi sent back.

"Shut up! You're always expecting me to do as you say! You want nothing but for me to obey your every whim! You have no concern for my well-fare!"

"WHAT?!! YOU ASSHOLE! I'D DIE FOR YOU; I NEARLY DIED FOR YOU IN THE JAW, JUST BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO _EXPLORE_ A CAVE – DESPITE MY WARNINGS NOT TO DO SO! AND YOU SAY I'VE NO CONCERN FOR YOU?! I TAKE BLOWS IN YOUR PLACE, I CURE YOUR WOUNDS; I PROTECTED YOU FROM THE LIFESTREAM!!!" Kyuubi's voice was so strained it was starting to become rough.

She landed such a powerful hit on the blonde that he was sent flying upwards until he was at the same height as the platform from which the waterfall formed. He didn't fall back, though, and stood there, floating.

"YOU ONLY DID THAT BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO SAVE YOURSELF!!" he screamed back at her with a heated tone. Sakura saw as he extended his arms outwards and seemed to collect _something_ from the space around him. Then he pointed his opened hands at Kyuubi. There was a wave of something immaterial and suddenly the Vixen found herself pressed against the ground, as if some unbearable weight was on top of her.

The kitsune's body moved haphazardly as if being hit with consecutive invisible blows, while being held in place by an unseen hand. After a particular vicious blow to the abdomen she actually coughed some blood. Unable to watch it further, Sakura ran and put herself between the girl and Naruto.

The blonde descended from the sky appearing worn out to the point of almost complete exhaustion. It seemed the technique had also token a heavy toll on him.

"Move out of the way, Sakura!" he demanded.

"No!"

"MOVE!" he screamed.

"No. If you want to hit her further you'll have to get past me. Look at you! You're acting like Sasuke!"

Naruto actually recoiled as if he had taken a hit.

"What?"

"You're acting in anger. You don't even let her explain herself. I know she hasn't been particularly helpful in that matter, but you don't even give her a chance! You're just assuming the worst of her and acting on it!" Sakura pressed desperately.

"She's the one who kept insulting me!" Naruto said outraged.

"Yeah, I find her to be very similar to you, in that department." Sakura remarked.

"What?" Naruto clenched his fists and Sakura feared she would be the next to take a hit. Even so she continued.

"You also insulted me before at the clearing. I actually defended you when she complained for your actions before we found you, you know? And what thanks do I get?" she asked rhetorically, "An insult."

Naruto seemed to sag, sighing in defeat. He made a helpless movement with his hands, signaling Kyuubi, "She keeps asking me to strain myself to the limit without taking my feelings into consideration. I can't even joke with my friends anymore. A few words and I'm immediately criticized."

"What about her feelings?" Sakura asked quietly, "Do you take her feelings into account? Have you stopped to wonder why she's doing it?"

"I-"

"I'll tell you why she's forcing you to absorb all that knowledge and mannerisms at once." Sakura cut him off, "Kyuubi told me a few things about contracts. Let me drop a bunch of facts on you: at some point after the contract this always happened in the past. In the beginning the guys that contract with her do everything she tells them, everything she _counsels_ them." She stressed seeing Naruto angrily opening his mouth, "They do everything to pamper her. The one day they decide that a Bloodline Giver isn't something that great to have and suddenly stop paying attention to her. They _turn their backs on her_. Just. Like. That. The reason she's trying to force you to learn all those things is because she's attempting to teach you everything she can in order for you to live happily when she isn't here anymore. Yes, because she seems to be under the impression that you'll also leave her behind at some point and I'll admit, after the way I've seen you act today, I don't know if she's all that wrong in her assessment!"

Naruto stared at her, expressionless. Several moments passed in which Sakura was barely able to breathe. 'Come on, dummy. Forget this! Where's the Naruto I know? Accept the truth!'

The blonde ninja grabbed her shoulder and moved her out of the way, so that he was able to face the Vixen Girl, who had yet to get up.

"Is it true? Do you really think I'm that much of a bastard?"

The only answer the girl could give was a muffled sob as tears strained down her face. Naruto's expression suddenly changed and he gave a weary sigh. Holding his arms stretched in front of him he concentrated a little. Kyuubi rose in the air and landed on his arms. "You should have told me that…" She continued to cry a little as he carried her next to the trunk of a tree nearby.

When she was deposited on the ground, Kyuubi hastily wiped her face clean. Naruto sat down next to her and Sakura, convinced that the conversation didn't seem to be about to escalate into another fight, settled on the other side.

"You should have hit me harder…" Naruto stated.

Kyuubi shook her head slightly, "I can't do that to you."

The blonde gave a sigh.

"Maybe I was being a bit of an idiot…" Naruto conceded.

"Maybe." Kyuubi's rough voice answered. She sniffed a little, "But maybe I'm also to blame…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Think I should apologize to Neji?" Naruto asked. Kyuubi shrugged uneasily. "I'm sorry." He said, "You know… for everything." He clarified, uncomfortable.

"This is the sort of thing I was talking about earlier, you know…" Kyuubi spoke softly after a moment.

"I know. I know I shouldn't have said that in front of Neji. But I was so used to being blunt like that to everyone that it seemed to have come out automatically. It's become a habit." He admitted honestly.

"Habits can be broken." Sakura stated.

"Yeah, but it isn't easy. And people expect me to act that way." Naruto rebuked.

"Not when you've been gone for three years. Not when you've passed through a Death experience. Like you said to Tsunade-shishou, those things change a person's perspective to the world. Drop that mask of the dumb Uzumaki Naruto; It doesn't fit Namikaze Naruto anymore." Sakura replied.

They sat in silence for a few more moments.

"I'm sorry." Naruto repeated.

"There's nothing to forgive." Kyuubi answered, this time more steadily.

"No. I've said some pretty hurtful things to both of you. I was being a Sasuke, just like you said, Sakura-chan. Just tell me how I can make it up for you girls…"

"Alright! No ramen for the next six months." Sakura said cheerfully.

"WHAT?!" Naruto rose to his feet, before sighing, "Alright, alright…" he said resigned.

'I can't believe it!' Sakura thought mystified.

"And promise not to do it again." Kyuubi added.

"Promised!" Naruto smiled and held his hands in front of them. Both the girls grabbed one hand and suddenly they felt themselves hurled into the air, dragged behind Naruto as he went higher and higher.

The sun was getting high in the sky as the morning was coming to a close. Naruto turned to the village and stopped in the middle of the air, a short distance away.

"Look, Kyuu-chan. Konoha! That's the village you've sworn to protect when you took that forehead protector. That's the village _we_ are sworn to protect. Let's go girls!" he said starting to move to the Wall, "Let's make a legend out of us!"

* * *

**A/N.: End of Book One – Homecoming - of "The Nightshade".**

**The fight between Kyuubi and Naruto might seem a little forced but I've seen people snap at little things just like that. All it takes is a lot of accumulated stress and I think they both had had their fair share, no?**

**Since I made no reference to Book I in the chapters, I'll just keep the chapter count as it is. I just wanted you guys to know we reached the end of a phase. A new arc starts next chapter, if you will.**

**Also, the next chapter of FOX Chronicles is halfway done… But I'll probably update this a few more times before releasing it. We've arrived at a part in "The Nightshade" I've been itching to write: Book Two – The Birth of a Legend.**


	19. The Basement

Chapter XIX

Naruto landed atop the Wall, the massive barrage that stood between the village of Konohagakure and the outside world. Using one of the support beams that stood inclined against the Wall, Naruto started to slide down, followed closely by the two girls.

"Why didn't you just fly us to the apartment?" Sakura asked.

"What, are you kidding?" Naruto asked turning his head back for a few moments in order to look at her, "Do you want to give them even more reasons to stalk me everywhere I go?" them was, very obviously, the girls that had tried to assault him the day before.

It was true. There were already wild enough stories surrounding his return without him adding more fuel to the fire. Rumors that he had killed the Kyuubi in a holy war; Rumors that Naruto _was _the new Kyuubi. And, this one amused him beyond anything else, that Naruto had killed the Death God, assumed control of its powers and returned as the new Shinigami.

"So what do we do now?" asked Kyuubi, leaping gracefully to the ground as they arrived to the end of the slide.

Naruto dusted his roughed cape off, "Well, I thought of visiting my new estate. We got to start preparing it for us; we can't keep imposing ourselves in Sakura-chan's apartment."

"You're not imposing."

Naruto shrugged, "Maybe not, but people will start talking."

Kyuubi looked at him before retorting with a small grin, "You're already wiser."

"Please, I already said I'm sorry! And I promised to go six months without ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, "Can we leave that behind already?"

"No, because experiences, no matter how unpleasant, help us cope with similar situations should they arise in the future." Kyuubi answered a little too brightly. She was taking pleasure in teasing him!

"Oh, OK!" Naruto shook his head, "and I'm not wiser, I've just had a lot of experience with hive minds before. I know the way mobs think."

"You think the people would react so badly about you two being there? You're a hero now, Naruto…" Sakura frowned as they made their way to her apartment.

"I don't think they'd be mad or something. But there would definitely be rumors about what a guy and two girls would do alone in a room…" he let the sentence fade away, it's meaning obvious.

Sakura was blushing a little fiercely and Kyuubi had a faint rosy hue in the face, while sporting a far-away look.

Oblivious, Naruto continued, "and you don't need that. Not after what you told me about how some people view you around here because of what happened with Sasuke."

That sobered Sakura immediately. He was right, of course. She had a less than enviable reputation with some of the villager, especially those who sympathized with Hinata; which, although not being all that many were, nevertheless, more than enough. Those people would leap at the chance of spread her supposed infamy even further. The Pink haired girl sighed a bit helplessly. She had been sleeping a lot better since she was with the two of them. Naruto being there shunned the fears away. But now it looked like she was back to facing the shadows alone, once again.

Kyuubi appeared to have guessed what she was thinking because she remarked, "However, we _will_ need help preparing the estate. We would appreciate your contribution and, for convenience, you could sleep in one of the rooms of the house, should you want…" she paused, "I don't trust a man when it comes to choosing furniture."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked from the middle. The she looked at Kyuubi slightly bewildered and then back at Sakura, "Is there something going on between the two of you I need to know about?"

"What's wrong with us?" Sakura asked back.

"Well, you were always at each other's throats when we were in Snow and then, suddenly, you're acting like best buddies."

Sakura looked at her nails before answering with some superiority, "We'll we, unlike someone we know, don't need to trade punches and insults to settle our differences."

Kyuubi looked a little uncomfortable. Truth is, they had traded insults and she had even held Sakura hanging by the neck. The other kunoichi winked at her. Naruto settled for a disgruntled sulking.

They picked the keys to Naruto's estate at Sakura's room. The blond also took hold of the sealed box, putting it away, safe, in one of the inner pockets of his black cloak. The said cloak was a bit messed up, no doubt due to the earlier fight with the Kitsune. Naruto looked at it critically.

"You girls think I should get this repaired?" he asked.

"It would do well to your image…" Kyuubi replied while they exited the apartment.

Sakura turned the keys and locked the door before remarking, "You could also get new sets done, if you're gonna walk around in that attire every day…"

"That might be a good idea…" he said, inspecting a hole in the cape. He looked up at them, "You know a good tailor around here, Sakura-chan?"

Starting to descend the stairs she answered, "Yeah, there's a good one near the Hokage Tower. We can go there later."

Arriving at the street they started to walk towards the distant tower. Suddenly Naruto stopped.

"Hey, do any of you know _where_ my estate is supposed to be?"

* * *

Tsunade was half-way through Naruto's report when the door was suddenly thrown open and the said ninja barreled into the room, "HEY, Baa-chan!"

"Brat… ever heard about knocking?"

"Why should I?" Naruto shrugged, "If you're going to let me enter anyway, I best save time and get on with it."

"I could be in the middle of an important meeting…" Tsunade answered.

"I'd have noticed." Naruto said, pointing to his eyes.

Tsunade frowned, as Sakura closed the office door, "I read your report on your bloodline. Quite unique if I must say. And you're sure you can sense that… flow… without your eyes open?"

"Yeah, Kyuu-chan says my eyes must just be a physical manifestation or whatever. I don't need to use them to sense the Flow." Something the way he said it made Tsunade imagine the word with a capital F.

"Right… I guess we'll have to come up with a name for it, so we can have your file updated." the Godaime sighed, "I swear, if this goes on I'll never stop changing your ninja description… Anyway, what did you want, brat?"

"You know where my estate is, baa-chan?"

Tsunade blinked, "I told you where it was yesterday, Naruto."

"No, you didn't baa-chan." Naruto denied cheerfully.

"I'm fairly certain I did." The Godaime insisted.

"You most assuredly didn't!" Both Kyuubi and Sakura remarked. The girls traded a smile.

Grumbling to herself, Tsunade got up from her chair and said, "Come here brat, and take a look." As Naruto approached, she went on explaining, "Because your clan was closely related to mine, it was one of the first to find shelter in Konoha after its construction; the third one, in fact." She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder and traced a line, "When the Hokage system was implemented in the village, the Tower was constructed so that the triumvirate of clans that originally formed the village had their estates turned toward this office's windows." She pointed right, to a dark and grey area which had been sealed for several years, "The Uchiha Clan. Originally only the Head House was located there, but the Clan started to aggregate in the years after the Kyuubi attack. If they hadn't, maybe some would have survived Uchiha Itachi's wipe." Then she pointed to the center of the traced line, "The Senju Clan Head. Now the house of your friend Konohamaru and his family."

"Where is he, by the way?" Naruto interrupted.

"He was sent as your relief in Snow. Why? Didn't you see him?"

Naruto shook his head in a negation and the Hokage continued, pointing to the leftmost end of the line, "The Namikaze Head. Your estate, Naruto."

Naruto strained his eyes and focused on the house. It was close to the eastern border of the village and appeared to have a little garden, seen even at the considerable distance they were. Naruto nodded in satisfaction.

"Right! Thanks, baa-chan! We'll be heading there now; start cleaning things up!"

Tsunade's head went up in mocked surprise, "You can clean up? I thought you were only good for creating havoc!"

Naruto groaned and turned to the door, followed by the laughter of his female companions and the Godaime's.

The way to the estate took a bit longer than Naruto expected. There really wasn't a direct route to the house and the three ninja were forced to change directions several times more than they wanted. Naruto had decided not to use the roofs, so that he could get a good view of the neighborhood around his new place.

A lot of people noticed them and made a point to greet them with polite nods. Naruto returned those he noticed still somewhat uncomfortably. It would take some time to get used to the respect, he thought frowning. It was refreshing really: he felt like he was getting closer to his goal of having the whole village accepting him. Once he had that, only Hokage remained.

Truthfully, he knew it wasn't as straightforward as that. Even so, he felt like he should be given some freedom to dream without reality getting thrown in the way.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. The gates of the Namikaze clan stood before them. If one was to be completely objective then one would have to admit they weren't that impressive. They were big, yes, but then again all gates to estates were. Aside from that, the doors were fairly plane, made of dark wood. The only thing that stood out was a symbol, engraved in both doors of the double gate, so that when it was closed it became a full picture. On it could be seen a stylized wave that evolved in a circular pattern until it became what was clearly a representation of a wind gust. It was, in its own odd way, highly reminiscent of the swirls Naruto's jumpsuits used to sport.

With a small start Naruto remembered that those suits had been given to him by the Sandaime as well as Jiraya. The first had known about is inheritance and must have wanted to at least give him something related to that, even if Naruto had no idea what the symbol meant. Ero-sennin was a wild card though. By the time the old Sannin had taken an interest in Naruto, the blond had already became so used to the swirls he had demanded them on his new clothes.

"Well? Come on, let's see what's inside!" Kyuubi urged him.

Taken from the depths of his own thoughts, Naruto nodded and took a hold of the key's set Tsunade had given him. The key the Godaime had indicated as the front gate's key was a big chunk of metal with a complicated design. It twisted and turned on itself. Naruto had never seen a key like it before.

The Namikaze heir inserted the key into the hole and turned it. Almost immediately Sakura and Kyuubi gave a small jump, as Naruto yelped and hurriedly let go of the object. A patch of blood was visible on the key. Blood that was absorbed into a small cavity in the key before their eyes.

There was a low humming and several seals began appearing in the Portal. Naruto, with the small knowledge of fuuinjutsu he had gained from Jiraya, was unable to decipher them. Then the Clan symbol started to glow, starting from the edge towards the middle of the pattern, in a golden light. Several clicks and other mechanical noises were heard and, when the symbol was fully glowing, the gates opened by themselves, outwards.

The three ninja stood a moment, gazing slightly disconcerted at the doors. As far as Sakura knew, there was no device able to do such things as automatically open doors like that. She was slightly marveled.

Naruto and Kyuubi's thoughts were much more somber. In some strange sort of way, the opening of the gates reminded them of the ordeal at the Jaw and the procedure they had to go through to gain entrance to the facility. Naruto looked at Kyuubi and she shrugged.

He took a step forward.

"Wow…"

"What is it?" Sakura inquired.

"If I'm reading the Flow correctly, a whole lot of a bunch of traps just disabled themselves all over this estate." Naruto said with wide eyes.

Kyuubi tilted her head to the side, "The blood and all those seals on the main gate probably had the purpose of identifying you has the heir… Anyone entering here unauthorized must have been up for some unpleasant surprises."

"Maybe… I really just hope I don't have to cut myself every time I want to get in though."

"It must be a onetime procedure." Kyuubi replied, "You'll have to key us in, though. Otherwise none of us will be able to get in without you. If we don't want the traps to get unpleasant, that is."

"Yeah! We'll read my parent's scroll as soon as we have the chance to see if they say how to do it…"

"This is amazing!"

The voice of the third member of their group made them turn towards the road to the house. Sakura was slightly ahead of them, looking around. The "not-so-small-after-all" garden was packed with fruit trees and decorative bushes. It reminded Naruto of the recreational gardens he'd seen once in Rice Country, on one of his trips with the Toad Sannin. Some Cherry Trees adorned the road to the house in the center of the estate.

The said building was made of dark wood, quality material that was rare to come across. Naruto didn't know it but the house had been made directly through the Moukuton ability of the First Hokage, as a reward for the hardships the Namikaze Clan had gone through history for the sake of their village. The architecture was old, resembling the nobler house of the Fire Daimyo Naruto had seen once. He wondered if all the other head's houses were like this. He'd never seen one before so he couldn't compare…

"You like it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah; Ino would have a seizure if she knew this garden as been kept a secret from her." Sakura laughed.

"We best not tell her, then!" Naruto concluded cheerfully, "Come on, let's try and get inside."

They made their way towards the building. Naruto took a little while to find the right key to open the door. With a creak from the lack of use, the door slung open. The interior was dark, as no windows had their panes open. The Sandaime must have had the house closed properly once the Fourth had passed on. There was a weight in the air, like memories wearing them down. The house felt ancient. Particles of dust floated everywhere, disturbed by the air flow of the opened door.

Sakura remained silent, watching the surroundings. Then, with a thump, Naruto fell to his knees.

'He must be overwhelmed. He's finally feeling the weight of his ancestors. He has a line tracing him to a family, now… he must be feeling somewhat sad.' She thought.

There was a groan and Naruto said in a whining voice, "This is going to take so much more time to clean than the three years worth of dust from the apartment!"

* * *

That day Naruto and Kyuubi still went back to Sakura's apartment for the night. The cleaning process proved to be as much of a pain in the behind as Naruto had prophesized. The three ninja painstakingly moved through the divisions, cleaning and sometimes doing some needed repairs as well. It was on such times that Naruto's surviving skills as an orphan came into dire play: he'd had to repair his apartment several times due to the unwillingness of the villagers to see his problems thru.

Because they didn't wish to damage the antiques on the house, Naruto and his teammates had to refrain from using Jutsu to help them, relying on simple handwork.

They started on the bedrooms so that they would be able to stay in the estate once the said compartments were clean. Sometimes their friends would show up to help a bit. Of those, Shikamaru seemed to be the most assiduous. Seeing his friend willingness to help gave Kyuubi an idea and soon Naruto paid a visit to the Godaime in order to issue a D-Rank mission to Shikamaru's team to help them clean up.

Finally, the day came when only the basement was left to clean. The house seemed much more inviting now that the writings of time had been erased. Naruto was finally starting to feel the place like his own home.

When they approached the door to the basement, armed with the weapons that had helped them through the entire week – brooms and other assorted cleaning tools – Naruto noticed a small seal on the wood.

"Wait." He said, inspecting it closely. His very incomplete seal knowledge was at least good enough for him to identify this particular one, "This is a blood seal. The door can only probably be open once we meet the requirements. We best read the scrolls my parents left me. It's about time we do it and they might have advice for what we're supposed to do…"

Kyuubi and Sakura nodded in agreement. After a quick lunch _not_ composed of ramen, the three sat down in the living room and stared at the black box the Hokage had given Naruto.

"Well… I think this one's a blood seal too…" Naruto hesitated slightly, "I suppose if I just drop a bit of my blood on it…" he cut his finger and squeezed the wound until a droplet fell on the seal. The box clicked open.

"Why didn't you do the same with the blood seal on the basement?" Sakura asked.

"'Cause I didn't know what would happen if I somehow wasn't approved. It could have activated traps. Some seals don't require just blood; we might need to do some ritual to disable it… At least with the box I know it was destined specifically to me." Naruto answered.

"Well, go on: show us what's inside." Kyuubi urged.

With strange trepidation, Naruto opened the box. On it were two items. Both were scrolls. One was much larger than the other and had a protective wrapping around it. Naruto took the smaller one and unrolled the scroll. He started reading it out loud for both his companions to hear:

_Dear Naruto._

_By the time you're reading this I've already passed on. You will undoubtedly be aware of the burden I've placed upon you. I can only wish for your forgiveness._

_If my wishes have been met, then you've been treated as the hero who keeps the Kyuubi at bay. I know a bit of the way people react though. Naruto: A person is smart, but people are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals. That said I know there is a possibility they might treat you as the Demon. If that's what happened, then maybe it's not all that bad I'm dead, because I might not have been able to keep myself from Hiraishiing the crap out of the villagers for what they've done to you._

At this point Naruto laughed a little. Despite what he had told the Godaime, his voice was gaining something of an edge and his eyes were suspiciously shiny.

_I've done nothing but cause you trouble, so I won't try to act like the father I'll never have been. That is one of the opportunities in life I'll regret the most for not being able to take it. Seeing you born was probably the best moment on my entire life. No! I know it was the best moment on my entire life. Matched only by the incommensurable disaster that was the death of your mother due to the destruction of the hospital she was in during the Kyuubi's attack._

Kyuubi was perturbed, "I-… I never set foot inside the village, Naruto! I swear I"

"Yeah, that's what my father said." Naruto interrupted her. "Here, listen."

_Which is strange, 'cause the reports I had just now tell me the Fox is still a good 10 miles from the village. I'm about to head there now, as soon as I finish this letter to you._

_We leave everything we own to you, to be delivered to your person the moment you either make Chuunin or reach seventeen years old, conditions which make you, any of them, an adult in the eyes of Konohagakure. If you've defected though, know that other villages have different requirements for being regarded as an adult and that delivering inheritance packages to a missing-nin is nothing short of impossible._

Naruto smiled at his father crude attempt at a bad joke.

_The Namikaze estate you'll be able to access by inserting the key into the lock. A sample of blood will be drawn to assure the seal I created that you're my son and grant you passage to the propriety – don't worry, it only happens once. I don't know if you're straight or not but, in any case, you'll undoubtedly want to give free passage rights to some people, be it girls or… not. To do that just have them drop a bit of their blood on the key. Then insert the key into the lock again and supply it with blood of your own. It's unpleasant for you but maybe that will prevent you from giving free access to other people too easily… Also, although these measures don't stop a ninja from going up the wall, you'll notice that the traps aren't disabled unless someone you've keyed in is inside the estate. Anyone who tries to enter unauthorized will meet the traps – and they are not pleasant._

_In the basement you'll find both mine and your mother's most prized possessions: my collection of three pronged kunai, which let me perform Hiraishin. You will notice that all kunai have the same seal on them. This seal is attuned to my chakra and lets me teleport almost instantly to where the kunai is. Understand that anything carrying the seal will act as a beacon. Nothing says it has to be a kunai. The other thing you'll find is your mother's choice weapon: one of the Seven Heavenly Blades, which the Seven Swordsman of the Mist seem to crave so much. I'm talking of the Death Scythe. It's a tricky weapon to use but dead useful, if you'll forgive the pun. Like all heavenly blades it absorbs chakra and is semi-sentient. It'll only consent to be wielded by someone of your mother's bloodline which, I suppose, means only you._

_Going back to the Kyuubi, I wish to warn you that I don't think this attack is a random one. I have no proof with which back up this statement, but I firmly believe that the Kyuubi was drawn into this village by a summons. I've also shared my suspicions with Jiraya-sensei._

_I apologize if I'm not making much sense but I don't really have the time or state of mind to create a speech like the ones the villagers like to hear._

_When your mother got pregnant, nothing gave me more pleasure than sitting by her side and imagine the future with the three of us. I never wanted anything in my life more than I wanted to see you grow up. To feel the pride of watching you graduate from the ninja academy (Sarutobi-sama says I shouldn't have written this, in case you don't become a shinobi. You _did_ become one, didn't you? If not, prepare to be haunted for the rest of your pathetic life). It seems fate has denied me such pleasures. Maybe it's because I've never believed in that bitch._

_I've never been this much scared in my entire life. I know I'll lose my life, that doesn't bother me – much. But I don't know if I'll succeed. Will you survive? Will the Kyuubi be sealed? All these questions gnaw at my soul. Part of me just wants to take a hold of you, bolt out of this office, and Hiraishin as far away as I can. Maybe to the farthest shore of the Southern Continent – that sounds about right! But as Hokage, I know the needs of the many out weight the desires of the few. I must do this for the village._

At this point the writing became a bit messy, as if the Yondaime's hand had started to tremble uncontrollably.

_I'm gonna go now, Naruto. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do. The knowledge that this is the only thing that can assure me you'll survive the attack is the sole reason I can keep going._

_I love you._

_Your father, Namikaze Minato._

_P.S.: I've enclosed a storage scroll with several scrolls on how to use Hiraishin and how it was created. To release it just drop blood on the seal. Do the same to access the basement. It's the only thing I have left for you. I hope you can use it. Should you decide to do so, please remember me kindly, and consider it a lousy make up for all the years I haven't been able to be by your side._

_I love you. Your mother loves you. We'll always be beside you._

When Naruto finished reading he had to gather himself for a moment. Wiping his eyes he lifted his head and discovered the girls were both crying openly.

Naruto tried to joke, "I'm the one supposed to be crying, you know?"

"Baka!" Sakura exclaimed, "This is really sad, you know?"

Kyuubi was looking extremely downcast and Naruto could tell she was going down a guilt trip again.

"Stop!" he said to her. When she lifted her head in surprise he continued, "Don't start blaming yourself on this; we've already talked about this before and I don't blame you on my situation, so just stop."

"Yeah…" the Kitsune's head bowed rather miserably.

"Are you going to open the other scroll?" Sakura asked, having managed to get her voice under control.

"Yeah, I'll give it a try." Naruto answered.

He bit his thumb, idly thinking he had to get a more efficient way of cutting himself. He smeared the blood across the seal and it disappeared, releasing the sealed scrolls. Opening one of them, Naruto read it for a while in silence, under the expectant scrutiny of his peers. Then he very solemnly rolled the scroll up again and resealed it, ceremoniously planting it on the table in front of them.

"What, you're not gonna study it?" Sakura asked incredulously, "Aren't you gonna use the Hiraishin?"

"I will if I can manage…" Naruto answered calmly.

"Then way did you let go of the scroll?" Kyuubi asked as well.

"'Cause I can't understand a word of what's written in there. The technical mumbo-jumbo is just too much for me to handle right now. I expect I'll have to study real hard into seal theory before I manage to understand it… I'll have to ask Ero-sennin for lessons when he comes back…" Naruto mused.

"But," he said getting up suddenly, "I can't do anything about it right now, so let's see the basement, shall we?"

Naruto recovered the scrolls and stored them safely in the black box. Putting it on one of his internal pockets he followed the girls to the basement.

It was a dark room, without much light. Naruto searched for a switch but Kyuubi reached it first. Flipping it, she activated a dim light bulb that barely served to illuminate the room. There were several objects scattered around, from gardening tools to ninja gear. Kunai, Shuriken, even exploding tags - now rendered useless because of the eroded ink.

Then they saw it. What appeared to be a big, large wardrobe. Of epic proportions, really. However once they opened it, Naruto understood they were not looking at clothes but something else entirely.

Hundreds of three-prong-shaped kunai, all neatly hanging from several supports. His father's reserve tools for the Hiraishin no Jutsu. It was when he was about to grab one of them that he noticed there was something else inside the armoire. Hidden in a rollover drawer, reaching from one side of the wardrobe to the other, located near the ground.

Naruto curiously grabbed the handles and pulled. The drawer opened, revealing a silk, cushioning bottom, holding a weapon of strange format. It looked like a slim black metal staff. However, contrary to what would be expected from a staff, it wasn't a straight rod: it curved, ever so slightly, to form a gentle arc. On one end a thick, long, curved blade with white markings on it could be seen. The blade attached to the staff in an odd segment which extended a little to the blade's opposite side, forming what seemed to be claws connected by solid spider webs. With the exception of the white markings, the weapon was entirely black, save for selected points in the staff, which Naruto recognized as being the handle, sporting a soft red material.

Kyuubi recognized it: "This is a scythe! It must be the one your father was talking about."

Sakura could only nod.

"This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, extending his hands towards the weapon.

A low growl was heard and the blond shinobi immediately stopped his movement. The growl had come from the scythe!

* * *

Naruto quickly replayed the entire contents of the letter his father had left, searching for something that might guide him in the situation it was in. He had a general good idea of what had been written but could not remember the exact words. Wanting to reassure himself he started to reach for the black box again, before Sakura's voice stopped him.

"_The other thing you'll find is your mother's choice weapon: one of the Seven Heavenly Blades, which the Seven Swordsman of the Mist seem to crave so much. I'm talking of the Death Scythe. It's a tricky weapon to use but dead useful, if you'll forgive the pun. Like all heavenly blades it absorbs chakra and is semi-sentient. It'll only consent to be wielded by someone of your mother's bloodline which, I suppose, means only you."_ Sakura recited from memory before turning to him with a nervous smile, "That's what your father said in the scroll about the scythe."

Naruto could only marvel at her wondrous memory, "Sakura-chan, you're amazing! I could never have remembered the contents so well…"

Sakura tried to diminish the importance of such skill but Kyuubi interrupted her before she could try and make her point: "Naruto's right. A good memory is an invaluable tool for a ninja. We can remember orders more clearly, have a better layout of a specific region, and know the way a party functions after seeing it in action. It's not something to be disregarded as useless."

The only intelligent answer Sakura managed to come up with was a mumbled "Right…"

Naruto frowned, having barely listened to the conversation. So the weapon was semi-sentient, huh? And it was supposed to be wielded only by him, huh? So why the hell did it growl at him?

"Perhaps it is only acknowledging you." Kyuubi said when he voiced his concerns, "Maybe it's the only way it can communicate."

"Just grab the damn thing and get over with it!" Sakura, who the shadowy atmosphere of the basement was starting to unsettle, exclaimed.

Before he could start hesitating again, Naruto threw his hand forward and steadily gripped the handle of the Scythe. He watched as the Flow swirled before him for a little bit. Then a shock wave went through the golden liquid and it suddenly felt like the scythe was emitting a wind of a sort that seemed to keep it at bay. He was vaguely aware of the questioning his teammates were doing, vaguely aware of the slow panic creeping into Kyuubi's face, vaguely aware she wasn't able to reach him. Then the Flow aggregated and formed what seemed to be an enormous skull right in front of his face.

An enormous pressure immediately started to make itself felt and Naruto started to fear he wouldn't be able to withstand it. It felt like his brain was being crushed, like a merciless wind was blowing in front of his face trying to gouge his eyes out of his head… by slamming them to the back of his skull.

He managed to barely make out both Sakura and Kyuubi's worried faces and felt steely resolve creep into his body and mind, 'I cannot die here!' The thing seemed to be hurling Flow energy at him. Well, if it was like that then he would let it taste a sample of its own medicine.

Focusing his will and concentrating the way Kyuubi had taught him, Naruto willed the Flow to start pressuring the skull from every direction he could manage, although he focused on the front so that the pressure the skull was making on him would decrease a little.

The thing in front of him seemed to recoil for a moment and Naruto could swear the thing was surprised by meeting resistance. Then, the skull contorted in a scream of rage and unleashed an onslaught of the Flow. It slammed against Naruto's own waves and started to push them back. Gridding his teeth, Naruto redoubled his grip on the weapon and released a wave of power himself. The two fronts battled with each other for a moment, seemingly in balance, and then the skull stopped the attack.

Naruto breathed heavily has it looked at him with an almost speculative look, if such a thing was possible from something made purely of bones. Then it opened its mouth and launched itself at Naruto's head. Before Naruto could react, the two foreheads connected and he felt his hand burning. Pain shot through his arm and he screamed. Suddenly the vision was gone and the blond was seeing the world naturally once again – along with the ever present Flow. The horrid vision was gone and the weapon seemed to have lost a lot of its weight. It felt light as a feather in his hands. It felt natural.

And on his hand stood a burnt scar forming a strange sigil.

* * *

**A/N.: About the scythe, if you want a more explicit description of how it looks, kindly look up a manga called 07 Ghost. It's the scythe of the Death God in that story. It looks really cool to me, and since this is fanfiction I can use it and fuse it with the story any way I like :-P**

**I'm not too satisfied with the way this chapter worked out, but it's what I have...**

**As always thak you for your time, and review. Ideas and constructive criticism are highly appreciated.  
**


	20. Go Team Cloak

Chapter XX

At first glance it would have been easy to miss it. But a closer look would reveal a still shadow by the river bank, hidden in the bushes. Uchiha Sasuke waited, his body unmoving as if he were made of stone but still emanating an air of deadliness and danger, like a snake coiled, ready to trap the unsuspecting prey.

_He_ was late.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Just travel to the leaf and come back with information about his offspring. If the opportunity presented itself maybe even bring the kid himself.

Konoha was known for not looking kindly to traitors but the wonders of the Mangekyou Sharingan were great. With it, Sasuke managed to imprint number six's mind with the layout of the village, giving the homunculus sufficient knowledge to make his way undetected by most of the village. Not that he had given the construct the Sharingan, no. That was reserved for the others, the more perfected versions he had built. Number Six was an earlier attempt, faulty and incomplete.

Still, it should have enough abilities to take the mission to good port. Had he been discovered? He had instructed number six to face Sakura and assess her growth, if she had grown at all. Maybe he had been overpowered? The thought amused him, strange has it seemed.

Holding out his hand in the air he mused about the price he had had to pay for such gift. For it he had killed his best friend. There was no way around it, he had murdered the only person he had ever let close to him after the Uchiha massacre. He didn't even have to think twice when the opportunity presented itself, contrary to what had happened at the valley of the end. He didn't regret it. He didn't feel conflicted or even mildly guilty. True he had tried to worm his way around guilt by making the dobe, for all intents and purposes, sacrifice himself (though he had lied for that), but he had long since downloaded such emotions. He was a killer machine. He only kept hate, the hate with which he kept chasing after his brother. That would not change, ever!

Having made his mind he prepared to leave. Orochimaru had demanded his presence today. He would have to take care of the fool Sannin soon. His petty demands were starting to make him a nuisance. The man was pathetic. He didn't even know Sasuke had the Mangekyou, a feat in and of its own.

Abruptly his vision swam and he staggered for a moment. With the corner of the eye he thought he had seen a figure standing against the setting sun. The silhouette had sent shivers through his spine and he felt a bit of fear, try has he might to deny such thing. He turned quickly and, as his vision steadied, he saw nothing but the bushes he had been using as a hiding spot.

Sasuke wearily pressed his finger against his eyes and then felt the area around him. Nothing. Not that he had expected for anyone to be there, really.

He chuckled silently to himself in derision. Him, Uchiha Sasuke, jumping at shadows. He was dead as sure as the sky was blue. He took a last look at the river he had been standing next to, amused, before sinking to the ground, still sitting. But he couldn't suppress the memory of the image that had burned into his mind: Naruto standing and staring down at him, disapproving frown in his face and clothed in a dark black cloak. In his hands a gigantic scythe, like some fantastic Angel of Death, waiting to pass judgement.

The sun continued to set, the sky coloured in red hues.

***

"Well… I've been thinking and decided to have the both of you not participating in the Chuunin exams." After some hesitation the Godaime decided to just come forth with it and drop the bomb on top of him.

To her mild surprise Naruto didn't even blew a bit of steam. He just frowned and asked why.

"Right now most people outside this village think you are dead. True, the situation is bound to change soon. The news of the heir of the Namikaze Clan can't be held for too long. Still, for now no one is actively looking for you. Akatsuki is off your case, and Orochimaru has been leaving us alone for the moment. That's bound to change as soon as news about you reaches them. However, let's make use of the relative peace we have and get you guys shaped up into a proper team, OK? With Chuunin rank you no longer need Jounin supervision to tackle missions from B to D rank so I'll have more manpower available if the need arises." She answered.

"What about the examinations? Not that I'm complaining but how do you know we're ready for the rank?" Naruto fired back.

"We'll run you through a couple of tests, alright." The Godaime confessed, "but it will be a more private thing. You'll be evaluated by shinobi designated by me instead of being subjected to the whims of the nobles from fire country, like the last time you attempted the exam." She took a sip from the ever present bottle of sake, "Not that I expect them to be spiteful towards you, now. Quite the contrary: they must be tripping to get in your good graces. Your clan was highly sought after in the Great Shinobi Wars. Still, this way no one will ask questions about Kyuubi either so we win all around."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"So, I hear you discovered your mother's Death Scythe, huh?" Tsunade asked. The conversation helped her to take in the new aspects of Naruto's psyche – she couldn't help it being a doctor – while keeping her from the dreaded paperwork.

"You already know about it?" Naruto frowned.

"Your mother was quite the legend with it. Before she retired from the front lines – Not from active duty," she answered the question before Naruto had the opportunity to voice it, "When your father took the mantle of Hokage she was appointed as his councillor so naturally she couldn't go and run off to the heat of the battle just like that."

"Before she retired from the front lines, as I was saying, she was known as the Scarlet Reaper. A bloody terror to the enemy, she had an A-rank bingo book entry in Stone. The highest rank a Konoha ninja ever got in that village beside one: the Yellow Flash himself."

"So, how is it?" she pressed.

Naruto hesitated by a fraction of a second.

"Well… it growls a lot…"

"That's to be expected. It is one of the heavenly blades, after all. They're supposed to be sentient."

"Yeah I gathered that from what my father said in the letter."

"Just be careful with it. Sentient weapons are known to have a temper and to be difficult to control. Please make sure you're always on top of the situation when using it." Tsunade pressed.

"Well, I'm not going to be using it any time soon. I don't have the foggiest about how to handle a scythe. I asked Sakura-chan if she knew someone who could help me and she suggested I ask Tenten, but I still haven't had the opportunity to do it." Naruto commented.

"That might be a good idea since she's a weapons master." Tsunade paused for a second before asking suddenly, "Where are your teammates, anyway?"

"I was told that today was a girls day out." He shuddered slightly, "I think Sakura-chan wanted to get Kyuu-chan down to the stores to get her some weapons and the like. They almost made me go with them!" he whispered.

Tsunade chuckled slightly, "That's a good idea, since I have a mission for you." She reached out to the paper mountain and pulled out a sheet with several official seals, "Since you served as a courier between Snow and the Leaf I got thinking: why not use your team to do the same to Sand. So here you go," she continued sealing the papers into a scroll and handling it to him, "You're to inform the Kazekage of the progress made in Snow Country. Basically the same thing you did with us."

Naruto accepted the scroll and nodded.

"Good." Tsunade commented, "You'll leave tomorrow. The sooner the better. You have three weeks for this mission – it should give you enough time to get there, come back and still let you catch on with your friends in Sand. The Chuunin examination will take place the week after you're back."

Naruto nodded again and grinned, "Thanks, Baa-chan!"

"Good, dismissed." The Hokage said carelessly."

Naruto got up and was about to leave the Hokage's office when a couple of voices reached them from the windows.

"Naruto-sama is with the Hokage?" said an excited voice.

"He must be discussing super-important secrets with Tsunade-sama. I hear he was on an extended mission, very important!"

"Kyaaa! I'm going to wait for him in the waiting room!"

"Me too!"

"No! I'll go!"

Naruto started to feel cold and sweaty at the same time and a feeling of impending doom started to assault him. He turned to the amused Godaime and begged, "Tsunade-sama!" he said getting to his knees and touching the ground with the forehead, "Your Hokageness, please let me use the window to leave this building!"

The Godaime let out a snort, "Go on, brat."

With a sigh of relief Naruto left.

***

Jiraya, one of the Sannin, Super-Pervert and Myõbokuzan's Holy Sennin took a seat in the farthest table of the Inn's common room. The position was advantageous to the old spy master because it gave him unimpeded view of the room while delivering relative cover, being situated in one of the corners. The white haired Sannin sat with his back to the wall, in order to diminish the chances of being taken by surprise.

"May I help you, sir?" the voice had a thick accent and it was clear the maid was not used to speak in Easton. Jiraya wondered how she had known in which language to speak to him, but then again his appearance didn't left much room for doubts regarding his origins. Being a borderland town, the people of Argentia were used to deal with folk both from the Southern Continent and the Elemental Countries.

The girl had a nice bust and at any other time Jiraya would jump at the opportunity of flirting with the woman. However, this time he had other things in mind so he just ordered a serving of wild game barbecue and a large bottle of a fermented beverage the people there called "Rum".

As he waited for his order to arrive, Jiraya observed the room, peering out the window next to him and taking short sips of the alcoholic drink. The bottles were somewhat similar to the ones in the Elemental Countries but the drink itself was somewhat harsher and sourer than sake. He had to admit though; it did have an exotic taste to it.

People walked back and forth, going about their lives. Small talk, complaints about stock prices, the average angry patron in the bar, everything seemed normal. Yet there was an undercurrent to the conversations, a rumor about the Jaw exploding in a huge fireball that had lit the sky like a second sun for entire minutes.

Jiraya himself had explored the site of the explosion. Whatever had happened, it had took most of the upper half of one of the mountains in the chain but that had been all he had managed to uncover. The dwellers of the Southern Continent avoided the Jaw like the plague and Jiraya wasn't so confident as to start an uncovering expedition on his own.

Still, his contact in Argentia had been able to give some very interesting information. Apparently, there had been a young man very much like Jiraya himself, with blond hair asking around for a means of transport to the elemental countries. This in itself wouldn't be too out of the ordinary. Generally some traders from Elemental Country would sometimes come to Argentia but they always made sure to secure a means back home. Add the fact that this boy in particular had appeared a comparatively short time after the Jaw's explosion… He supposed it could all be coincidences but the old pervert had learned to trust his instincts in these things.

His food arrived and Jiraya dug in, stuffing his mouth with meat and gulping it down with the help of the sour drink. When the entire barbecue was gone, Jiraya helped himself with some fresh cheese, gulping it down with massive amounts of white bread. It had been weeks since he had eaten properly. In the wilderness of the Jaw and while trying to uncover secrets that could become dangerous to oneself, you just don't go wandering around with state of the art cuisine equipments.

Finally feeling full, Jiraya drank the last of the alcohol. He eyed the bottle speculatively. Making his decision he ordered another one, this time to be taken out. Jiraya made his way to the counter while unhurriedly readying the pipe Bunta had given to him as a present. When the drink came, the Sannin paid for the meal and left the Inn.

Jiraya stopped briefly at the doorstep, tying the bottle to his scroll strap with the string it had been provided with. Satisfied that the beverage had been secured, he made his way to one of the darkest and least frequented alleys of the city.

After making sure no one had followed him Jiraya squat down and, after a bit of blood and some hand seals, performed the summoning technique. While the smoke cleared, the old man reached for his pouch and extracted a bag of candy he had made sure to buy before leaving the Inn.

"Gamakichi." He said extending the bag to the not-so-little-toad-anymore, "Tell Bunta I'm ready for the reverse summoning, alright?"

Gamakichi gave a brief salute before winking and taking the candy away from him, "Sure thing, Jiraya!" he croaked, vanishing in another cloud.

Jiraya got back up and looked around. No one. He turned back and took a last look to the surrounding mountains, towering over Argentia and forming one of the Jaw's many tips. He felt a push has the reverse summoning took effect and disappeared from the Southern Continent.

***

"No, no, my dear Shima, I assure you I am quite satisfied." Jiraya said for the tenth time, "I ate quite a bit before Bunta reverse summoned me."

An old female toad gave a disgruntled humph and settled the dish it had been holding down in the small table.

"I swear, you always seem to find some way to avoid dinning with us, little Jiraya-chan. If I didn't know better, I'd think you found my cooking unpalatable." She said.

Jiraya took a quick look at the roasted grasshoppers and turned a little green, while forcing a large smile to his face and saying, "Don't go spewing nonsense, Mother Toad. Besides, while you two may be having breakfast I just had dinner on the other side of the world!"

There was an amused chuckle and the two of them turned to see another old toad entering the division, "I'm sure little Jiraya-chan would like nothing more than to taste your cooking, provided we manage to get him at a better time, Ma."

Jiraya bowed his head in acknowledgement, "Fukasaku-san."

"Please none of that, Jiraya-chan." The elder toad said as the couple of amphibians took their place at the table and started eating the assorted cooked bugs and worms, "I already told you to drop the honorifics; Fukasaku or Pa will be enough."

"The same goes for me, little tadpole." said Shima, winking at him.

Jiraya chuckled in response.

"I must say, you got back at the right time as usual, Jiraya-chan." Fukasaku commented conversationally, "The last we heard from Konoha, things were getting quite interesting there."

"What do you mean, Pa?" Jiraya asked with his curiosity picked.

"It appears the heir of the Namikaze has been found." Shima answered as if remarking about the weather.

Jiraya went shell-shocked for a moment. Then he spewed, "What travesty is Tsunade doing? Minato only had one son: Naruto was the sole heir to the clan."

"Well that's what has been going around the village…" Fukasaku shrugged.

Jiraya got up and was at the door in a flash.

"I gotta clear this up for myself. With your permission, elders, I shall take the well to Konoha."

"Go on, go on, just make sure you get back to have a meal with us, someday." Shima said, waving a webbed hand.

"Right." Jiraya swallowed before turning and disappearing behind a low door.

The elder toads ate in silence for a while and then Shima asked, "Why didn't you tell him the Godaime had said it was Naruto who was back?"

"Oh, I just love to mess with little Jiraya's head." Fukasaku replied.

***

As she listened to Naruto's surprisingly wise considerations regarding garments for travelling in the desert, Sakura couldn't suppress a vague sentiment of betrayal. A boy wasn't supposed to know so much about proper clothes! It all made sense when he explained his experiences with Suranamanara and Berasylle's inhabitants, though. It was explained, then: It wasn't that Naruto knew about clothing it's just that he had had the choices made and explained to him before. It was all second hand!

He had given the tailor some very specific instructions and had promised a big reward if the garments were finished being modified to his tastes by the morning of the following day. Sakura was under the impression the man wasn't going to sleep tonight.

As she watched the blond chatter happily with Teuchi, she also took the moment to take in the behaviour of the Fox Girl sitting across him. Kyuu, as they called her out loud, had taken the researchers approach to the food served at Ichiraku's and demanded to try something new every time they ate there. This was not as often as Naruto would have liked but still left Sakura with a faint repulsion for ramen for days straight. Fortunately, Teuchi also served other dishes.

She fumbled with the pickles in front of her, poking them with the chopsticks. Tomorrow she was going on a mission. Her first mission as a full-fledged ninja since the catastrophe that had been the so called "retrieval" mission. Tomorrow she would no longer be a mere backup, or sidekick. Although the past months with Shikamaru's team had been pleasant enough, Sakura would not forget what it had been to be assigned support roles to teams like Team 8 and the like, who blamed her for Naruto's death. The scorn and hate she had felt could have been her undoing hadn't Ino been able to provide the necessary emotional support. She had much to thank her.

But now she was on a team with Naruto and Kyuubi. She had consulted the files regarding them that afternoon, after Naruto had relayed the news to the two of them. They were what was designated as a 'locked team': never to be disbanded or separated while their members survived. Other teams could be made null and its members could go on solo missions or be integrated into other teams. While it was possible for members of locked teams to do solo, the only way for one member to go on a mission with another team was if the others followed. The pink haired girl knew this was Tsunade-sama's way of giving her the emotional protection she needed as a patient, while at the same time making sure they could work together (after all she had been Naruto's teammate for years and Kyuubi had been with the blond for… well, his entire life really) and Sakura was eternally grateful to the Godaime for it.

Such teams were rare. She had only heard of three others and all of them were ANBU teams. Sakura wondered if they were being scouted for the Dark Side squads.

Along with the modifications for the clothes, Naruto had also requested two cloaks similar to his own: a white one for Kyuu and a light Pink for her - "because it matched her hair", the idiot had said. She had felt a little flustered over the comment and it was a while before she could ask the reason for such purchase. His answer was something along the lines of 'making bonds through similar wardrobes'. It was an answer the likes of which only Naruto was capable of, but Sakura thought she understood.

***

Kyuubi and Sakura ended up having to wait for Naruto, while the blond ninja made a quick dash to Tenten's father weapons shop. Predictably, he had forgotten to stock up his ninja gear.

Sakura found it amusing and even calming that, despite so many changes, Naruto was still capable of behaving like she remembered. The Vixen Goddess, however, looked less than thrilled by the set back.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura cautiously asked, squatting.

Kyuubi hesitated before answering, "I keep trying to turn him into a responsible man and this always happens. It's like sometimes he's being thoughtful then the next minute he throws everything out the window and there he goes, reverting to a blubbering idiot."

"That's just the way he is." Sakura pointed out, "Naruto is smart and he _is_ much more responsible now than before. But he will always stay the happy hyperactive person he was before. It's his nature."

"And it will get him killed!" The Kitsune spat, "One day, he will forget something crucial on a mission or the like, and then he will find himself in a situation where he won't be able to fight his way out!"

"Then we'll get him out." Sakura calmly answered, feeling like she had just reached a very important conclusion, "That's why we're there. For when you reach for the pouch and find out you just used your last kunai. For when you land in a branch and realize there are explosive tags all around. For when you're tired and can't make your way back to the village after a mission. That's what teammates are for; we're family, we're there for each other. For when you're sad and need friends…" Sakura's voice trailed of and she quickly whipped of a tear from her eye.

Kyuubi stood, uncomfortable, before sighing, "Yeah. We'll be there."

They waited for a few more minutes and then heard Naruto's voice directly behind them, "Ready to go?"

Kyuubi yelped and Sakura got to her feet like a bolt of lightning.

"How do you do that?!" She asked, a little louder than she had intended.

"Do what?" Naruto asked confused.

"You creep up behind us and I never seem to notice it, just how – no never mind." Sakura gave it up as a lost cause and flung the pink cape Naruto had given her over her shoulders. Kyuubi imitated her and Naruto followed. The three of them adjusted the hoods and headed for the Gates.

Sakura had thought they would look kind of ridiculous, but the looks her team was receiving on the way out of the village was more respectful than usual, even given Naruto's new status. She guessed the visuals counted for something, at least when it came to ordinary folks. She had her doubts when it came to other ninja.

Sakura was so focused on her thoughts, she didn't even notice the man until she had bumped into him. Regaining her balance, she quickly mumbled an apology and followed Naruto and Kyuubi. The man continued his way without a second glance, hurriedly going towards the Hokage Tower.

It was only after they were out of the village she realized she had bumped into Jiraya.


	21. Reunion by Fire

"Alright, spit it!"

Senju Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of the Hidden Village in the Leafs, the Slug Princess of the Sannin and generally viewed (and accepted) as the most powerful ninja in the entire Fire Country, glanced up at the elderly man who had literally burst his way through her door and into the office she held as the village's leader.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, asshole? You can't just enter here like that!" she said, putting down the bottle of sake that had been half-way to her mouth.

"The hell I can't. I can do everything I want, especially when you're just giving away Naruto's inheritance to some nobody that has struck your fancy!" the man scowled at her. His white hair was caught in an awkward ponytail that still left it looking as a lions mane stretched across his back. An old, decrepit lion, but a lion all the same. His face had red lines coming down from his eyes and that, added to the sneer he'd been using, made up a very intimidating image.

Tsunade swung the bottle of sake at the old man's head, in a motion that was impossible to perceive to a normal person's eye. The bottle hit the target with a dry, hollow sound, and Jiraya's head snapped back from the force of the impact. It reeled back real fast too and the red spot on his forehead marking the point where contact had been made didn't manage to disperse the impressiveness of his righteous anger.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's your excuse?" Jiraya shouted, some filaments of spit jumping from his snarling mouth and landing on the top of the Fifth's desk. Tsunade looked at them and frowned then she snatched a D-rank mission report made by some Genin team and used it to clean the small spots of saliva. In slow deliberate motions and with extra concentration too. Just so the old pervert would learn who was in charge of things.

"Excuse for what?"

"Are you finally going senile, you hag? Why did you give off Naruto's inheritance? Huh?"

Tsunade fumbled with her drawers for a moment, looking for another bottle of sake.

"Because the inheritance wouldn't do anyone any good if we left it gaining dust there forever, useless. Minato and Kushina would never have wanted that, nor, for that matter, would Naruto." She paused and looked at the stony face her old team-mate was making, "Especially if the receiver is family."

Jiraya frowned.

"What?"

"He had convincing proof, Jiraya. He belongs to the clan."

"That's impossible. I know for a fact Minato's entire family is gone for good."

"Yes… but the Uzumaki aren't, apparently."

Jiraya stood silent for a few moments, apparently mulling the information inside his wicked little mind, Tsunade thought.

"You're sure…"

Tsunade opened her hands, "As sure as I can be. Given the circumstances I'd say it's the best we have. The Estate couldn't have been left alone for much longer, Jiraya. Sooner or later Danzo or some other council fart would have tried to get their hands on it."

"And learnt of the Fourth prized techniques and the Scarlet Reaper's infamous scythe", Jiraya nodded, "I guess I can understand why you did it… And you say it's an Uzumaki?"

"Hai."

"Where is he?"

"You just missed them. I sent him with Sakura on a courier mission to the Hidden Sand – where the hell are you going?"

No sooner than Tsunade had finished saying it, Jiraya was by the window.

"What the… where the hell are you going?"

"I'm going to catch up with them. I want to get to know this person well." And he jumped.

Tsunade bolted for the window and screamed, "You old idiot! At least use the door!"

* * *

Naruto, Sakura and Kyuubi jumped across the trees, as they made their way for the Sand Village. The forests surrounding the Hidden Village in the Leafs reached across many miles, before melting away into the Wind Desert and night had started to fall as they run the kilometres.

Naruto's heart thumped steadily and strongly in his chest. It had been some time since he had last run in his homeland. It felt good to once again walk the old ways. Kyuubi was feeling a similar emotion, part from the mental connection she enjoyed with Naruto – something they still didn't understand very well even though she'd gone through the process countless times –, part from the fact that this was _Fire_ Country. The one speck of Earth she had decided to acknowledge as her own. Even though villages like Berasylle practically devoted themselves to nothing but the act of worshiping them, Bijuu often chose homelands far detached from such places. In her particular case, it was the mentality of the people living here that had gotten to her liking. Refusing to quit, to bow to adversity, twisting and changing to cope with that very change. Much like flames. And of course their Will of Fire. It was perfect.

Just as they reached a small clearing, Naruto stopped suddenly. Sakura was about to ask what was going on when she noticed the old man by the fire in the middle of the way. He was smoking a stylish pipe and had several scrolls strapped onto his back. His hair fell in a pony-tail to his back and his face had lines from the advancing age although, like the Sandaime, those didn't make him look any less intimidating. If possible, it made him even more menacing and powerful looking. It was the Toad Sanin, one of the Legendary Three Ninja, trained by the Professor himself, known for his prowess as a Seal Master. Sakura noticed the smile under Naruto's cowl.

"Well, come on, get to the fire. If none of us makes any move this is going to take a long time to go through…"

The Sage took the initiative himself and motioned around the fireplace. The group approached slowly and stood on the opposite side to the one occupied by Jiraya. Kyuubi twitched a little. This was the man who had trained the ninja who had successfully sealed her inside her contractor. She didn't know what to make of him.

Naruto sat down and the others followed his example.

"So, why don't you tell me what you've been up to, all this time…?" Jiraya took a drag, "Naruto."

Sakura's jaw nearly unhinged itself as her mouth opened in surprise. Kyuubi actually flinched and Naruto lowered the hood of his cloak to reveal a face that looked like someone had just told him Ichiraku's had closed permanently. Jiraya's mouth twitched in amusement.

"What the hell, Ero-sennin! And I had this great introduction planned and everything!" Naruto's voice wasn't as loud as it might have been, had the interaction happened a few years before, but it was still high enough to confirm him as the number one knuckle-headed ninja. "How did you know?" he demanded.

"There were reports of a blond haired young man asking for passage for the Elemental Countries in the Southern Continent. Descriptions of him depicted the youth as resembling the Fourth and being always accompanied by a fair maiden." He gave them a lecherous grin, "Of course they don't know the Fourth – that was all my work; In Snow Country, all sort of rumours were going around, about great heroes returned to the Land. One was obviously Sakura, and I didn't think the Uchiha would coexist peaceful with Leaf ninja if he'd been there. And then, as soon as I get back, I hear the news of the Namikaze heritage being claimed by someone belonging to your mother's family. Careful prodding on the right team just resulted in your identity being well confirmed, brat."

Naruto seemed impressed, "Wow, Ero-sennin, I never thought you could be that smart!"

Jiraya rose swiftly and, before any of them had any chance to move, was beside them, fist raised, ready for a bump on the blonde's head. Kyuubi just seemed to blur into motion and in the next moment was _there_, holding the old pervert's hand and snarling menacingly. Jiraya frowned as the white haired woman swung a fist in his direction and dodged, only to be intercepted by one of the straps of cloth the girl seemed to have hanging from her uniform. The connection was a physical blow, sending the old ninja flying backwards. Sakura watched as the Toad Sannin started to travel downward and suddenly blurred into a wooden log.

The punch hit Kyuubi as a rock and the Vixen momentarily felt the air leaving her body and refusing to enter again.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing, Ero-sennin?"

Naruto's question went unanswered as the old seal master threw another attack at Kyuubi. Sakura prepared a chakra enhanced punch, hoping to stop the fight before Kyuubi managed to kill the Sannin. The other girl ducked under the pervert's leg and, snarling, launched herself to the face of the Toad master. Kyuubi held the man's head tightly against her chest.

There was a moment when everything went still.

Then there was a rumble and a fountain of blood erupted from Jiraya's nose, knocking him down. With quick movements, Kyuubi managed to avoid the stream of blood and, somehow, keep her clothes free of blood samples.

Sakura watched dumbfounded as Naruto roared with laughter.

"W-What?" she mumbled, "I don't understand…"

Naruto managed to get his breathing under control just as Jiraya was starting to get back to his feet. "Nice-one, Kyuu-chan!" he said, giving her a thumbs-up. The girl smiled brightly, her face a bit flushed at the praise. Then he turned to Sakura, "There's a reason I call Ero-sennin, Ero-sennin. It's because he's an incontrollable pervert." He turned to Jiraya, "Right, Ero-sennin?"

"Don't call me that, you brat!"

"You just lost all the ground you had for that demand, you old pervert! Hah! Just wait until I tell baa-chan!"

"Hmm…" the man said, his face still a bit red and warm, "but still. That was a good technique. Still imperfect but… if you want to train it, I can help you with that, young lady." Jiraya gave Kyuubi a lecherous grin.

There was a dry sound and Jiraya's head was sent back by a powerful punch from Sakura. "I can't believe one of the Legendary Three Ninjas is such a despicable human being. I mean, I'd heard rumours but I thought they were exaggerations…" the pink haired girl gave a body shudder and edged away from the pervert, muttering to herself.

Jiraya observed her for a moment, his face oddly serious and concerned.

"I can see she hasn't recovered yet…"

"What the Jerk did to her was hideous, Ero-sennin." Naruto answered in a low voice.

The man lifted his eyebrows, "You know?"

"She told us, when we returned. Or rather, she was forced too. We encountered a clone of Sasuke on the way from Wave to Konoha and I overheard some taunts where he hinted at what had happened. When I confronted her with it, she just broke down on us…" Naruto remarked, frowning at Sakura who was now sitting by the fire. Kyuubi moved to join the other female.

"Hmm… tell me more, kid. Especially about how you're walking around with the Kyuubi in human form."

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The old pervert's information gathering skills were starting to be a little annoying.

* * *

Jiraya took a big bite of the chicken leg in his hand. It was a meagre meal, very different than what he'd have had if they were back in civilized lands but here, out in the wilderness, he couldn't be too demanding when it came to food. He was just glad he had managed to catch the brats on their first night of travel. Otherwise they'd be eating granola bars instead of meat. Unless, of course, the Vixen managed to catch something for them since, as far as he knew, Naruto's hunting abilities were about as good as his: nonexistent.

Sakura had retired for the night but Naruto and the other girl were still awake, sitting by the fire with him. Jiraya had wished for some time to speak with his pupil alone but 'Kyuu-chan' would not take a no for an answer and refused to abandon the boy's side. Which, considering her status as an Avatar, was not all that surprising. The Toad Sage felt a swelling of pride when he thought of the Fourth's son. Pure enough to survive the purge of the Lifestream! And to erase the Demon Fox from the world and return the Vixen Goddess to it. By the gods he wasn't sure if his father would have been able to do it. Scratch that, he wouldn't be able to do it. After he'd met Kushina that kid's mind had been so infused with the girl the Lifestream would have wiped him clean from the Universe and left not a trace behind. He eyed Naruto. Perhaps it was a good thing the kid was still a virgin.

"Well, I hope the three of you know what you're doing. If you want my opinion, it is best if you just hide your ears with the cloth and forgo the Genjutsu altogether. Moderately skilled ninja can detect when and roughly where such constructs are being applied. It would draw unnecessary attention to that particular aspect of you." He said to Kyuubi, "And pray you never have to fight beside a Hyuuga. They can see through clothes!" another leer.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Other than that, at this point I don't think there's anything else you can do." He took another bite, "You said Tsunade still hasn't decided who is going to be your squad commander, right Naruto?"

"Yeah. Granny says she'd rather test me before that and tackle the problem afterwards."

Jiraya munched a bit in silence, mulling over an idea. Making up his mind he said, abruptly, "How do you feel about taking a more serious apprenticeship under a Sannin, kid?"

"What?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"I asked how you feel about taking a more serious apprenticeship under a Sannin." He repeated, "If you agree with it, I might volunteer to be your commander…"

There was a stunned silence and then Naruto said,

"But… but I thought you hated being bound by responsibilities like that. And haven't I already apprenticed with you for two years?"

Jiraya waved his hand dismissively while maintaining his two eyes steadily focused on the blonde young man.

"That time can barely pass as apprenticeship. I didn't teach you that much, did I?" he asked rhetorically, "But that was partially my own decision. You weren't ready. You were still too immature, too naïve to see the reality of the world. You are ready now. And of course: my lessons would not be limited to you. I would teach your friend Sakura as well, and even the Goddess if she felt she had something to gain with it."

Naruto looked at the old pervert for a moment, too stunned to speak. The he turned to Kyuubi, as if seeking her opinion. The white haired woman looked back and gave a firm nod, with wide eyes.

"I- Sure, I guess… if you're sure, Ero-sennin…"

The old ninja gave a satisfied nod and threw the remains of the meal into the fire. As they watched the pieces burn in silence, Jiraya said, softly, "I'm old, brat. There's no way around it. Sooner or later I'll meet my share in life. It is the only thing certain in life, death. If I have to go I'd rather go having left something meaningful in this world. You'll be my last apprentice, Naruto. I'll teach you everything I know, you'll be my legacy, you'll inherit everything. Let no one say I've lived in vain."

Naruto sat dumbfounded, confused by the sudden dark turn in the atmosphere and surprised at the fatalist tone in the old pervert.

"Ero-sennin… I don't understand. Why are you talking like this? And what do you mean about leaving something meaningful? You trained the Fourth Hokage!"

Jiraya shock his head, "I thought that was enough, that I felt contented with that but… After that mess with the Uchiha… You're my student's son, Naruto. Call it my own piece of selfishness but when you disappeared… I failed you kid. And I'm sorry." And then he did something that left Naruto gaping in shock: he got to his knees and brought his forehead down to the ground, in an apologetic stance, "But I'm going to fix that if it's the last thing I do. I won't live with regrets – nor die with them!"

Naruto went to him, completely disturbed, "I- Come on, Old Man." He tugged at his sleeve, "Don't do this to me, I don't know what I'm supposed to say, dammit!"

Jiraya got back to his feet, his face still serious and his eyes maybe even a little red. Naruto looked at him, worried. The perverted hermit gave him a smile and said, "I have given you my vow. I'll see it through." He paused and breathed deeply, "But I need to know where you want to go from here on. What do you want to become." He laughed, "Do you still want to be Hokage?"

Naruto actually took his time to answer. "I don't know. I definitely still have the reasons for which I wanted it in the first place. But…" he scratched his head awkwardly, "Baa-chan just released my status as the heir of the Namikaze and I already have a load of people after me… fans, I suppose. And then I remember how Gaara was treated when he became Kazekage. That much worshipping… I don't think I like it, Ero-sennin…"

To his surprise, Jiraya actually laughed when he heard that.

"Yeah, Minato was the same way as you. He'd run away from people as soon as he suspected fan girls to be around. Only one person ever managed to make him face that fear…"

"My mother?" Naruto ventured with a small smile.

Jiraya shook his head, laughter favouring his words, "No. The Sandaime: he named him the Fourth Hokage!"

* * *

"Kazekage-sama, an envoy team from Konoha has just arrived. They're accompanied by Jiraya of the Sannin."

Gaara of the Sand, former Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail Raccoon Shukaku, lifted his head from the report he had been reading. A difficult task since he had one hell of an headache; a result from the most recent bar-hopping spree promoted by his brother and sister. The Kage was the Kage, but even him was entitled some relaxation.

"Send them in, don't keep them waiting."

The red-haired man stared as the team filled the room. Two women, one dressed in pink and another in white. The pinkie was obviously Haruno Sakura but the other one didn't appear to be anyone Gaara knew. Jiraya of the Sannin, stood behind the team and in the middle, dressed completely in black, stood a young man. Reaching for the hood, he brought it down, revealing an unruly golden hair, a smiling face with whiskers, his eyes scrunched and resembling a Fox.

"Hiya, Gaara!"

As he looked at Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara sighed, lifted a hand to his forehead and murmured, "I knew I shouldn't have let Temari buy me that one more shot!"

**A/N.: Hi! Long time no see. This chapter is a transition chapter. Nothing too interesting, I suppose. It hasn't been very well proof-read, which means it probably contains more mistakes than usual. Anyway I hope you like it. Constructive comments appreciated as always.**

**Random thought: I sure hope fanfiction net's break lines are working properly, this time. I'll have to go back and reset them in the previous chapters, I suppose...**


	22. Romantic Advice

Chapter XXII

Naruto stood in front of Gaara, trying to figure out the reaction that had come from the red-head.

"Huh… Gaara? Aren't you going to… you know, ask or say something to me?"

"No."

"… why not?"

"Because you're a hallucination, that's why." The Kazekage searched the drawers of his desk and extracted a small bottle. He opened it and counted two pills. Putting them in his mouth he gulped them without the aid of water and grimaced, "They taste horribly, but they are very good at nullifying the effects of an extreme hangover. You'll disappear in a few moments." He said to Naruto. Then he turned to Jiraya, "Jiraya of the Sannin. It is a pleasure to welcome you into our village. The bathhouses have been sealed off from the moment you were spotted at the village gates and will remain so until you depart."

Jiraya, who had, since the beginning of the conversation, been trying to hide his great amusement at the situation, adopted an outrageous facial expression. His protests, however, were interrupted before they even started as Naruto cut him off to insist once again.

"Gaara… it's me, Naruto!"

Gaara of the Sand looked at him with inexpressive eyes and, muttering a curse, dived behind the desk to fetch the bottle again.

"Gaara!"

The Kazekage sighed.

"You're a very persistent hallucination. Fine. You say you really are Naruto? Prove it."

Naruto stopped briefly and, as the Kazekage, seemingly taking his hesitation as evidence of his inability to prove his authenticity, reached for the drawer again, blurted out, "I have three cups of instant ramen in my cloak's pockets!"

Gaara stopped and fixed his eyes on Naruto with an unusual intensity.

"Show me."

Naruto opened his cloak, revealing cups of instant Miso Ramen attached to it.

Gaara got up and extended his hand forward, "It is good to see you again, Naruto."

* * *

Jiraya sat on the floor looking out the window of his assigned room. He'd have preferred to be doing some research but the damned Kazekage seemed to have issued a standing order to close all establishments he would use for that purpose as soon as his presence in the vicinity of the village was detected. He blew a bit of smoke from the pipe and reflected on the possibility of such decision being made by Gaara in order to secure the approval of his ruling as Kazekage.

The meeting had gone very well. Naruto had a knack for making people feel relaxed in his presence and even the normally apathetic Kazekage appeared to not be an exception to this rule. The blonde had given the ruler of Sunagakure the complete coverage of his adventures since his supposed death, but to Jiraya it hadn't escaped the fact that Naruto had twisted facts around and completely omitted the relation between the Nine-Tails Demon Fox, the Vixen Goddess and the white haired girl beside him. He supposed it was for the best; the fewer people knew about that secret the safer it was. It couldn't have been easy for the brat since he hates to lie to other people. He and his teammates were probably visiting one of the favourite bars of the Suna siblings. What was it with the job that made almost every Kage, no matter what the village, at least a moderate alcoholic?

There was a faint knock at the door. Curious, Jiraya turned to it and said, "Yes?"

"Jiraya-sama… I'd appreciate it if you could lend me a bit of your time."

Jiraya tried to hide his surprise at having 'Kyuu-chan' requesting for an audience with him. Normally, if anyone else was watching, Jiraya would have jumped right into his pervert persona but, seeing as they were, as far as he could sense – and a Sannin's senses are hard to trick -, alone, the Toad Sage simply frowned slightly and answered, "Sure… do come in, Kyuu."

Not terribly innovative of the brat to come up with that kind of name, but it was surprising how looking human and, more importantly, female could prevent people from somehow relating 'Kyuu-chan' to 'The Kyuubi'. The fact that they claimed the girl to come from a city in the Southern Continent, where the people were known to have strange languages and costumes, made sure that the name was accepted without a second thought. Meaning: it comes from South, how the hell could it relate to our word for nine?

For a being hailed as one of the most powerful entities in the world, Kyuubi entered the room with mighty uncertain small steps. She looked around as if to certify herself that no one else was there and then paused in the middle of the room, as if not knowing what exactly to do.

"Take a sit." The Sannin said, sweeping the room with a hand, "And close the door, please. It will give us more privacy."

Kyuubi seemed unsure about how to take that comment but then she appeared to take in the seriousness in the old man's request because she closed the door and approached the Sennin, sitting down on the floor a few steps behind him.

Jiraya took a drag from the pipe and commented, "I'd have thought you'd be with Naruto in his stroll around the village with the Kazekage…"

"Perhaps. But they are their friends more than mine, Jiraya-sama… he deserves time alone with them."

"But you should also consider whether he truly wants you to _not_ to be with him." He said, ignoring the startled look from the girl, "And don't call me Jiraya-sama. Jiraya or Jiraya-sensei, since you guys will be under my guidance, is enough. Otherwise I'll just have to start calling you by your name, 'Kyuu-chan'. Teumess Cadmius Huli-Jing Achomawi Mamaceqtaw Ysengrimus Reinard _is_ a mouthful but I'm certain I can manage, if you insist in formalities…"

Jiraya couldn't help a grin when he looked at the shell-shocked expression the white haired female was making, gaping at him and behaving as if she had difficulty to breathe.

"How do you know that name?" she finally managed to ask.

Jiraya made a movement of indifference, before starting to explain, "I always was a bit too curious for my own good, even as a young boy. While this curiosity usually expressed towards the fairer sex, I always managed to find a bit of time between peeping and taking beatings from enraged women to do a little serious research in the libraries. The past always interested me. Of the Sannin I was the only interested in such things: all my teammates were to worried by Death to enjoy Life… Must come with being a student to the Professor." Kyuubi recognized the title usually attributed to the late Sandaime, "Particularly myths. And something like the Avatars would capture the imagination of any kid. I used to imagine fighting bad guys with the Gods at my side to aid me in battle. Imagine being able to meet one face to face." He smiled pleasantly at her. "That's how I knew about the Lifestream too, and why I had the hope of Naruto still being alive."

Something clicked in the Vixen's head, "That's how you were able to piece together that Naruto was back so fast! You were already half-expecting it to happen."

The Toad Sage nodded.

"So… how exactly may I be of assistance to you?"

Kyuubi immediately returned to a very uncomfortable body language and ducked her head as a blush slowly appeared. Jiraya contemplated how the girl appeared as an amusingly white version of a younger Hinata and took another drag as the girl took a deep breath.

"Sensei… how do you know when you're in love with someone?"

Jiraya's eyes widened and he bent forward as the smoke from the pipe went down the wrong way and caused him to have a fit of coughing.

"What?" he asked, shakily trying to wipe the tears out of his eyes and grimacing.

Kyuubi shifted uncomfortably and tried again, "How do you know when you love someone? I ask this of you because you appear to be experience in human relationships and-" the girl had been talking progressively faster and Jiraya was forced to interrupt her to try and make some sense of the surreal situation he seemed to have entered.

"Wait, wait. Why are you asking this? You're thousands of years old. You have more experience with society than anyone else alive."

The girl bowed her head and mumbled something unintelligible. Jiraya prodded further.

"What brought this on, anyway? And _who_ might be the lucky guy?" he added a little coyly, "Is it some sweaty, manly sand ninja? Is it me? Temari?" he ventured heroically before guessing in a teasing lower voice, "Or is it a male, blonde, Konoha Ninja?..."

The girls face immediately went bright red and she bowed her head even more, as if trying to make herself as invisible as she could without recurring to a Genjutsu. The cloth on her head smoothed and Jiraya could swear her ears had flattened down in embarrassment. She didn't answer but Jiraya needed no answer at this point.

He mulled over just why the hell a God needed to ask his opinion on such a matter when he remembered the conversation he had with them about the ritual involving the contract. Moved by a sudden insight he exclaimed softly, "You're just like a young girl aren't you? Just like a girl entering puberty for the first time and meeting the man of her dreams…"

She nodded and said in a small little voice, "I don't know what to do. I have these feelings I can't explain and I don't know what they are. I've never been this age before." She gave a small self-deprecating laugh, "I don't think I'll give a very good teenager…"

The booming laugh from Jiraya startled her a bit, "No one is good at that, girl. That's why so many people have all those problems growing up!" he patted the space beside him, by the wall, "Sit here, kid."

Kyuubi did as instructed and felt the old man give her a pat in the shoulder. The Sannin was looking out the window sorting his thoughts.

"Of all the things for you to ask advice on, you had to choose the most difficult of them all." He shook his head in amusement and then looked at her. Kyuubi was suddenly deeply aware of the wrinkles in the man's face, the signs of age and of years spent either laughing or crying or scowling. At this point, Jiraya looked more like a Grandfather than a fearsome ninja or a super-pervert. "Love is not easy to describe, girl. Hell, I'm not sure it can be described!" he rubbed his face thoughtfully; "No one can tell you when you're in love with someone. You just know it. It's in the way the day brightens when he smiles at you, how your heart leaps just because he's _there_, beside you. It's how he can melt you with one look, sweeten life with a word. It's when you know you'll do everything for his happiness, consequences be damned. You can burn the world to ashes, you can kill thousands of people, can _save_ thousands of people for him. Love has started as many wars as it has ended. You can even put yourself aside in favour of another if you know it will make him happier. This part is trickier, though. You're never sure that stepping aside is the right option so I'll give you this one specific tip: don't do it."

The girl's eyes had taken a glassy look at some point in the speech. She seemed to be analysing everything that he'd said and comparing it with her own experiences. Finally she lifted her head and looked at Jiraya with a deeply scared expression. Her lips quivered and she hid her face in her hands and mumbled, shakily, "I'm in love with Naruto."

"Is that so bad?" Jiraya asked softly.

"What do I do?" she asked in panic, "I don't want to ruin everything we have! I don't want to botch it up and destroy our friendship. I can't! But I can't keep going like this either." She started shaking her head and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Jiraya's hands shot forward and gripped her head, directing her gaze at him.

"Just tell him. Confessing your love for another is simultaneously easier and harder than anything you can possibly imagine. But in the end it is the right thing to do. It just isn't fair of you to withhold your feelings for him. You do yourself a disservice if he doesn't return them because you strap yourself to those feelings when they aren't returned… and you commit downright treason when you don't tell him you love him and he has feelings for you as well."

"If that's true wouldn't it be as well the other way around?" she asked, still a bit shaky.

Jiraya waved a hand, dismissively, "Bah!... we males are completely clueless when it comes to Love. And in Naruto's case it's even worse, since he's clueless about pretty much everything related to girls. The only time when we gain some insight is either when we get married or when we get older. Either way it's too late." He smiled, "if you want results, you'd better take action, Kyuu-chan."

Kyuubi remained silent for a bit. Then she started to get up. Jiraya put a hand on her shoulder, dragging her back down. "Teumess…" he said, capturing the full attention of the Kitsune with the usage of her true name, "Seems to me your fears of loosing friendship are unfounded. I know Naruto. Even if he doesn't have feelings for you he wouldn't stop being your friend just because you confessed. And Love is, first and foremost, a deep friendship, loyalty and trust between two or more people. You have that, already. All there's left is for you two to acknowledge it." He breathed deeply, "And I'm sorry but I have to ask this. Is there any danger of you getting pregnant?"

The Vixen Girl blushed deeply and let out a small cough, "I- I-" she took a deep breath to steady herself, "No." and her eyes grew dimmer, "We are infertile. I will never give Naruto children. Or any other man, for that matter…"

Jiraya put rubbed her shoulder and said in a wounded apologetic voice, "I'm sorry…" and it really seemed like he was, both sorry and wounded at the revelation, "I only asked because it is normal between couples to have sexual relations. Our society is very strict on such matter and if you had gotten pregnant before you relationship was… officialised, there could have been problems for you. Especially since Naruto is the head of the Namikaze now…"

"And since he's the head, he must take a woman who'll produce an heir… maybe even several." Kyuubi said. And broke down crying.

Jiraya edged forward and gave the girl a light hug, "True. Society does encourage such decisions. But they can never force a person to make that decision. And we already know what Naruto will choose if they ever force him to make a choice between being socially accepted and being with the ones he loves, don't we?" Kyuubi nodded without voicing her thoughts, still gripping Jiraya's clothes, "And I have to say: I agree with him, girl…"

* * *

Try has he might, Naruto just couldn't understand what had happened in the time he had been led through the village by Gaara. Kyuubi had disappeared without telling anyone where she'd gone and, when they finally rejoined, she refused to say anything of what had transpired. He did notice she was a bit restless and her eyes appeared as if she'd been crying. But Jiraya had shaken his head in an almost imperceptible way and Naruto left it at that. He could understand that some things were private even between close friends. He didn't doubt the Old Pervert knew something though: Kyuubi was much more open and pleasant around the old man than before and Naruto hypothesized that, whatever had happened, Jiraya had been instrumental in making it better. While other people might have felt a bit defensive and even maybe jealous, Naruto merely felt happy that he had friends that were so dependable to each other.

"Naruto… we were thinking, me and Temari. How about a spar tomorrow, before you go?" Kankuro said, bending forward across the table and over dinner to look directly at Naruto.

It was the last meal they'd be having together like this; Naruto and his team would be returning to Konoha the next day. The blonde was sitting between Kyuubi and Sakura, with the Toad Hermit placed after the white haired girl. He looked at the young man in the war paint before answering, dubiously… "Hmm… I don't know, Paint Boy." The nickname was an old war between the two of them.

"What? Are you scared?" the other replied, provocatively.

"Yeah, but not of you." Naruto shot back immediately, "Knowing how you fight, I'm worried of the political backlash if Kyuu-chan or Sakura-chan somehow manage to either maim or kill you horribly!"

Kankuro smashed his fist in the table, "Hah! As if I'd get knocked around by some _girl_!" Naruto noticed Kankuro's sister, Temari, develop a tick in her eyes and reach for the battle fan. He started to down the meal as quickly as he could.

There was a whooshing sound and suddenly the male ninja was sent flying to the window with a crash. There was a muffled sound of protest and Kankuro disappeared, pulled by gravity towards the ground. Temari walked over to the window and screamed, "And don't come back until you've lost that machismo you seem to get every time you put war paint!"

**A.N.: FOX Chronicles, DEVIL and Fourteenth should be update soon as well. Review, if you will.  
**


	23. Cowards and Dreams

Chapter XXIII

"Are you sure that's alright?"

"Sure. He gets like this every now and then."

"No really, look at his face. He's going to drown his brain in his own blood at this rate."

"Relax, Kyuu-chan, Naruto, Kankuro's used to it."

Tied upside down to a pole next to the great gates of Sunagakure, Kankuro resembled an over glorified version of an insurgent against a tyrant government that had decided to make an example out of him and have him reverse crucified in a public exposition.

"Besides," Temari said, picking up where her brother had left the argument, "Kankuro doesn't have a brain to hemorrhage so there's no danger of damaging anything…"

"OK… If you say so…" Naruto hesitated, still looking at the unfortunate shinobi. The previous night's punishment at the hands of Temari and her giant battle fan had obviously not factored in Kankuro's mind. That or he suffered from the same problem both Konohamaru and Kiba had: They didn't know when to shut their mouth to keep them from angering any female within hearing radius. Naruto carefully kept himself from looking to either of his teammates. Neither Sakura nor Kyuubi had expressed their points of view regarding the punishment of the puppeteer but Naruto hadn't missed the glint in their eyes as Kankuro was hauled up the pole. He just had to make sure to never mention this again and pray that they forgot it soon; with his luck and mouth, if they ever got a liking for such methods, he'd never have is head above his feet again.

Gaara extend his hand for a shake, the customary compliment between the both of them.

"It was good to see you, Naruto."

"Meet ya all later, Gaara!"

They crouched in concordance and, at Jiraya's signal, took off, back to their own village in the Leafs. The wind brought Naruto's voice across the desert back to Gaara, his volume rapidly decreasing as they got farther away, "AND NEXT TIME YOU HAVE TO INTRODUCE ME TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND, GAARA!"

The Kazekage sighed.

"I thought you didn't have a girlfriend, Gaara." Temari remarked.

"I don't."

* * *

"Alright. I think we've gone far enough for today." It was dusk and Jiraya had just given orders for resting. The Toad Sennin took the scrolls he always seemed to carry with off and sat down, setting them on the ground, beside him. "If we keep this speed we'll be back home the day after tomorrow."

Setting camp was a brief business for them. Despite being away from military duty for some three years, Naruto found that his body had quickly grown accustomed to the familiar movements of field duty. Muscle memory, Sakura-chan called it. The body remembers it even if the details are still foggy in your mind. A quick fire Jutsu from the old man and the camp was ready.

"I've been thinking and since we're a team I figure it's best if we give an introduction like the one that the pipsqueaks off the Academy do when they first get their teams assigned."

"But, Jiraya-sama – I mean, sensei," Sakura corrected after the look Jiraya sent her, "We already know each other."

"Maybe, but you've been separated for three years. And you don't know Kyuu, there." He pointed at the vixen girl, "Alright, If you don't feel comfortable repeating the whole process than at least demonstrate your best techniques. I need at least that, if I'm going to teach you anything; you first, Sakura."

With a sigh, Sakura got up from where she'd been sitting and started, "I'm Haruno Sakura, first generation ninja of the Haruno family. My father never made past the reserve forces." She clarified for Naruto, "Because of my acceptance into the ninja ranks as well as my apprenticeship to Lady Tsunade, my family has been recognized as a clan and granted a place in the Shinobi Council." She said, more to Kyuubi than to the two men, "My most defining technique is the use of Chakra to enhance my own strength." And to illustrate it she went to a nearby tree and took it down with a flick of her finger. She then hauled it over and settled it next to Naruto and Kyuubi, sitting down on top of it. "I have very good Chakra control and as such have a good control over Genjutsu techniques, although I am nowhere near Kurenai-sama in that department."

"Kurenai is a Jounin." Jiraya clarified for Kyuubi's benefit, "She's the captain of Team 8 and is recognized as a Master Genjutsuist."

Sakura sat down and Jiraya clapped. "Good. Naruto, you're next."

Naruto jumped from the seat he'd taken at the fallen tree with his usual energy and started his introduction, "The name's Uzu- no sorry, Namikaze Naruto! Still haven't gotten used to it." He mumbled under his breath, "I was a Ninjutsu specialist and the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. Now I am the contractor of Kyuu-chan, here! My main ability is this one!" And before Jiraya could utter a word he lift over the ground and called one of the Sannin's scrolls without the usage of wire or chakra strings. Jiraya couldn't sense the usage of chakra either and figured this must be the power the brat had hinted at during his retelling of the Adventures he'd lived before returning to the Elemental Countries. Returning the scroll to its place, Naruto started to sit down, only to straighten up and blurt, "Oh, and I'm also the son of the Fourth!"

Jiraya shook his head at him and said, "Alright! Our final star: you're next Kyuu-chan."

Kyuubi got up slowly. It never failed to amuse Jiraya how insecure the girl could act even when she probably was the most powerful being in existence.

"I am the Twelve Tailed Vixen Goddess. Several cultures view me as the Avatar for Playfulness and Mischief. I've recently recovered from a… ailment that made me lose control of myself when three of my tails were stolen. Naruto got them back for me and I bonded with him. I suppose my most famous technique would be this one." And after a brief hesitation she brought her hands to her mouth and, making a tunnel with them turned her head up and, after a deep breath, blew. A blue fire, so bright it actually hurt to look at it, erupted from her hands and formed a spear of flames that ascended steadily far above. Kyuubi shifted and swung slightly, making the pole of fire twist and turn in concordance. The she stopped blowing and took down her hands. The fire formed a ball of blue light, high above in the atmosphere, and stayed burning for a few moments, as if feeding off of air itself. Then it dimmed and disappeared. "I also know shape shifting. I use it to hide my tails." And she sat back down.

Jiraya was looking at the spot where the fire had burned, mouth open and eyes wide. Then he looked back at them and his face formed a childish smile. "Foxfire. I never thought I'd see it in my entire life!"

Kyuubi smiled a little.

"Great introductions. Though I must say, brat, I was expecting Kage Bunshin or Rasengan from you!"

Naruto smiled a bit sadly and then said something that startled the old pervert, "I can't use Chakra, Ero-sennin."

"What?"

He shrugged, "Ever since I came back I can't use my chakra correctly. I have no problems with Kyuu-chan's but I can't seem to access and draw mine out correctly at all."

Jiraya frowned. As he started to replay everything the brat had told him about his experiences, an idea formed in his mind, "Did this start before, or after the joining?" he asked, referring to Kyuubi and Naruto's ritual.

"Before, I think." Naruto said, frowning. Then he added quickly, "But even if it is a consequence of the Contract, don't think for a moment I'm trading Kyuu-chan for Chakra, Ero-sennin."

Jiraya shot the startled Vixen a victorious look and then turned back to the blond young man, "No I wasn't thinking that. I was thinking that there could still be some remainders of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal in you that might be wrecking your system. We'll have to get a Hyuuga to check you out when we get back."

"Oh… OK."

"Sensei," Sakura said, cutting in before Jiraya had the chance to end the conversation, "What about your introduction? We all gave ours except for you."

Jiraya looked at her disgruntledly and, with a huff, started, "My name is Jiraya of the Sannin. I am called the Toad Sage because of my prowess in Toad Katas and my summoning techniques. I'm also known as THE Super-Pervert and the Amazing Jiraya. Refer to ninja literature if you want to acquaint yourselves with my greatness further." He put his hands on his knees and finished, "Now, I don't know about _you_ brats, but me I'm old. I need to rest. The Great Jiraya needs his beauty sleep to keep getting to the Ladies."

And with this, the Toad Sannin got up and made way for his tent.

"What, you're actually going to bed before dinner?"

And came back the following moment.

* * *

_His fingers traced the sinuous line of her back, leaving a trail of heat that made her shiver with each breath. She was vaguely aware of the room they were in – not that it mattered; she only had space on her mind for Naruto and the wonderful thing he was doing to her long neglected body._

_Her breathing became more ragged and husk as he grinded against her with increasing speed and Kyuubi found herself moaning lowly in spite of herself. She took a sudden intake of air as his tongue brushed a particularly sensitive spot._

_Both their movements were becoming more frantic now. She moaned and gasped and could not avoid a scream as he slid a hand between her legs and touched her just as she liked. She let out a small scream of pleasure and – _

-And found herself lying on the ground, in the middle of a clearance, in the forest near the border with Wind Country. Kyuubi turned sharply and buried her hands against her tights, in an effort to keep the sensations the dream had awoken within her. '_NO!' _she mentally shouted, as the pleasure quickly faded with the memories of the dream world and frustrated tears peeked at the sides of her tightly shut eyes. '_No, no, no!' _ The magical moment was lost as soon as she acknowledged it consciously and there was nothing she could do to bring it back.

Kyuubi felt like crying. She also felt like tearing her own ears off. And kiss and kick Naruto. Possibly at the same time. Why wouldn't he do that in the real life? He just had to approach her and she'd be all for it. Or better yet, just come to her one night and lay next to her. She'd fake being asleep and then she'd move towards him innocently. The proximity and the casual touch would make him start feeling her body and she would be able to answer as if she were dreaming and eventually they'd be able to get serious. And there would be no need for awkward talks. And if the next morning he tried to somehow apologize with that cute way of his she only had to drag him down again!

Kyuubi punched the bag silently. That _idiot_! What kind of ninja was he? Could he not take the initiative?

No, he couldn't, she answered herself. Not when, in her fear of rejection, she had hidden every clue about her affection from him. And that was what it amounted to, if she was honest with herself: fear of rejection. She feared his reaction if she confessed. And as long as she didn't do that, he couldn't be blamed for not acting on something he had no idea about.

Unable to get to sleep, she exited her bag and made for the exit of the tent she had ended sharing with Sakura. Kyuubi would have preferred to sleep in the same tent as Naruto, but the old pervert had taken the spot from her at the first opportunity. Damn him, she thought childishly.

Although, come to think of it, maybe it wasn't all that bad she hadn't been in the same tent as him. Who knows what could have happened?... Damn it!

She wandered about the camp trying to decide how to pass the time. Somewhere around them, Kyuubi knew, Jiraya was keeping watch. Soon it would be Naruto's turn. Her steps took her into the trees and she suddenly registered the sound of water close up front. Following the sound, she reached a small fountain. The water erupted from a small rock formation, creating a music that seemed soothing to her tortured nerves.

She was standing there for a little while, crouched next to the small river, when she heard the rustling of the dead vegetation on the ground. Looking back, she saw Naruto walking towards her. Kyuubi quickly turned back to the watch the water, trying to control the rebellious heat threatening to go to her face.

The blond approached her without even a greeting and sat down, next to her. He scratched his cheek and said, in a perturbed tone, "Kyuu-chan… how much do you know of psychology?"

Kyuubi stared at him in utter surprise. "What?"

"I just had the strangest dream… and you were able to identify the problem with Sakura-chan back in Snow so… I got to wondering if you could make any sense of this…"

Kyuubi hesitated just a fraction of a second before agreeing.

"Huh… I ahh… I got this strange dream tonight." He started, "I can't remember it very well, but there are some bits and pieces that have stuck to my mind." He hesitated a bit, took a breath so deep Kyuubi would never imagine he had the capacity to hold all the air he sucked in, and blurted out in a torrent of words she barely managed to decipher, "I was being held, or-or holding… I-I think it was you! And she was doing these weird noises and screams and panting-" Kyuubi thought her heart was going to stop. That or her head would explode from the blush she was feeling. '_Oh God… he Received the dream! I Sent it to him through the link! _"I- I think I was making you do that, and I was liking it! I think I was torturing you!" he turned to her with a haunted face, "Kyuu-chan… do you thing I'm becoming a monster?" he asked childishly.

Kyuubi's mind was racing a thousand miles an hour, trying desperately to find _something_ to say.

"I-" she took a breath to calm herself, "Don't be silly, Naruto."

"But-"

"Look, if you're so disturbed because of a dream, fine: let's review it!" she said. Naruto nodded faintly.

"How can you be sure I was being tortured?"

"You- You were screaming, Kyuu-chan! Why else would you be letting inarticulate screams if I weren't torturing you?"

_Oh, just come to me one of these nights and I'll show you!_

"Did I say anything against it? Did I beg to stop or anything?"

"Well… no but-"

"Naruto, there are other things you can do to a girl and make her scream without torture…"

"Like what?" he asked, actually seeming confused. The Vixen Girl looked at him for a few seconds. Was he trying to convey to her he didn't know anything about 'adult's play' having head at least two perverts as teachers and having created the Seduction Technique?

She gave him a slightly sly look, "Weeell, if you, say… caress us in a special way, and we like it a lot…"

The blond ninja seemed to have connected the dots as his face went deep red and he quickly averted his eyes from her face. Almost in panic really. When he looked at her again he had the look of a puppy who expected a beating.

"You're going to hit me now, aren't you?" he asked faintly.

The Kitsune tilted her head, confused, "Why would I do that?"

"I've just admitted to have a perverted dream with a girl that looked like you!"

_Oh God, this is your chance! Ask him if he would like to compare it with the real thing! Do it, Do it now!_

"Those things are normal in a boy your age, Naruto." She clarified instead, "And you've spent the better part of the last three years alone with me. I can't blame you for that; it's natural." She added in a reasonable tone.

"Oh…" Naruto seemed to be digesting this new piece of information. "Err… sorry about that." He finished lamely, getting up.

"It's O.K." she said, getting up as well, her legs feeling like jelly from the scare she'd gotten.

"I wonder if the other guys have these problems as well…" Naruto asked, almost absently, shrugging is head.

"Most people have parents to explain things to them…" Kyuubi said.

"Oh… good thing I have you then, Kyuu-chan!" he said, smilling brightly for the first time that night.

_Tell him! Tell him you're his! For everything he wants even if it is to make you scream like in the dream!_

"Naruto…" she started when he made his way back to the camp. He stopped and looked back, listening. She gave him a smile and said, teasingly, "Good Watch!"

_I'm such a coward._

_

* * *

_

"What the hell are you guys doing here? You're a week early!" Tsunade asked as soon as they announced themselves. Meaning Naruto and Jiraya entered through the window as Sakura and Kyuubi preferred to go the more official way.

The girls were just entering the office when Naruto answered, "We met Ero-Sennin on the way and got done quicker than we expected, baa-chan!"

"Shishou!"

"Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waved at the girls, acknowledging their greeting, without taking her eyes from the two males, "I should have known you wouldn't let them do things normally, you pervert."

"What's that supposed to mean!" Jiraya asked, outraged, "I wasn't with them most of the time. They spent it all with the Kazekage and his family! The blasted redhead even closed the Bath Houses when I was spotted near the village's Gates! I spent most of the week in my room smoking pipe!" The Sannin's face was almost at the point of self-righteous tears, now.

Tsunade cackled, "Gaara went through with my idea? Excellent!"

Jiraya seemed to go into a catatonic state of disbelief and didn't answer. Both Naruto and the girls, however, got a good laugh at the Pervert's situation.

Tsunade turned her attention to them, "Well, since you're here early, I guess I'll have to move the schedule for your examination forward." She consulted a small but large agenda, "Hmmm… two days. In two days we'll have your test. Until then, you're on your own."

Naruto nodded.

"Alright! Go away, you brats! I'd better wake up this idiot before he swallows his own tongue, or something."

"That's anatomically impossible, Shishou!" Sakura remarked.

"You don't know Jiraya, Sakura: his stupidity breaks the laws of the Universe."

The Toad Sage seemed to come back to his senses, "You'd better not have said what I think you did, Breastless Tsunade!"

The Hokage smilingly punched his belly.

"See what I mean?" She asked.

**A/N.: A late Author Note actually added after the chapter's publication. The dream sequence was suggested to me by a reviewer but, for the life of me, I cannot remember who was nor can I find the reviewe or PM in which it was done. Sorry for that. Announce yourself if you remember doing it and I'll put your name here: _**

**Read and Review, will you?  
**


	24. A Difficult Situation

Chapter XXIV

"Alright, brat, show me that funny little box you say you have here."

Jiraya had previously impressed Naruto on the importance of him, and the other house dwellers which, for the moment, encompassed merely Kyuubi and sometimes Sakura, being up and about nice and early. This was because the Sage wanted to conduct an inspection of the memory module Naruto had brought with him from the Jaw in the Southern Continent. It was now thirty minutes past one in the afternoon and the old pervert had finally appeared at their gates.

Naruto spared him a light glare and went for the basement, fetching the device. Meanwhile, Jiraya got confortable while Kyuubi and Sakura occupied the couch that faced the small table in the middle of the living room.

After a few moments the blond returned carrying a small black box, looking like a geometrically perfect cube with a small glass dome on the top face. Naruto sat down between the two girls and placed the device on the table.

"Right. We got this after we somehow managed to order whatever machine that was to create a backup file about what happened at the facility. I played with it a bit and discovered that by pressing this button here," he pushed the said button. A small blip was heard and a few rays of light exited through the glass dome, before materializing a keyboard and a screen made entirely of light, "I didn't go much farther than this though. The main machine seemed capable of adopting our language but this one… I understand nothing of it."

"Did you try speaking to it?"

"What?"

"You told me the installation detected your language when you were speaking with Kyuubi here. That might be a sign it is capable of interpreting the speech of the users and adjust accordingly." Jiraya explained.

"Huh… no. I had other things to worry about."

"Like what, brat?" the Sannin inquired.

"Like the freaking escape module we were in breaking down on us when we were several hundred meters in the air!" Naruto snapped a bit moodily. He'd been up since 5 o'clock, waiting for the pervert and his mood wasn't in its best.

"It was more than a kilometer high fall really…" Kyuubi mumbled.

Sakura looked at them, alternatively, "How the hell did you escape that?"

"Naruto used his bloodline for the first time."

"Oh…"

There was a loud bleep that seemed to come from the inside of the box. Then, in quick succession, entire lines of different characters started to run across the screen. Several characters were highlighted, every now and then, but the speed at which it was done was too quick for them to be able to make out which ones.

Then it stopped. A rectangular, vertical character blipped for a few moments and then moved forward, writing the following lines behind it:

_Memory Module X13-23-5769AB_

_Containment Failure File Play -1_

_The Project Tails -2_

_System Preferences -3_

"Hey! I can read that!" Naruto pointed out.

Jiraya was sporting a victorious look on his face, "As I thought. It has speech recognition functions!"

The three younger ninja looked at him strangely. Finally Sakura asked, "Jiraya-sa- I mean, sensei… what do you mean by speech recognition functions?"

Jiraya put the pipe in his mouth, an artifact that seemed to have become as much of a constant for him as Sake was for the Godaime, and said, "It's a function that allows a computer to recognize what is being said by users. Sufficiently advanced machines can even adopt the language they're detecting, provided a big enough database on the words being used exists."

He said it with the most natural air in the world. While Naruto and the girls were trying to wrap that around their minds, Jiraya reached for the keyboard made of light and, extracting a scroll which he opened and unrolled on the table, started typing commands, consulting the scroll regularly, as if trying to refresh is memory about the procedure.

With a bleep, the device started to playback the movie it had showed to Naruto in the Facility. When it finished, Jiraya had a serious look, the lines in his face seeming more marked and deeper than usual.

Naruto seemed to come back to himself and exclaimed, "Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me you actually know how this works? What this is? What the hell, Ero-sennin!"

Jiraya paused and looked at them, seriously.

"This is what I live for, Naruto." He remarked softly, "I live to know things and remember that which no one else does. That is what a Sage is: the memory of Humankind." He waved a hand at the device, "This thing here was called a computer, in the old days. Legend says they could do almost everything, machines working instead of people, making their lives easier."

"So… it was a peaceful society?" Sakura, asked, her eyes as big as saucers.

Jiraya snorted, "Hell no! More technology just meant more effective ways for people to kill one another. And easier ways too." He sighed self-deprecatingly, "It must come with being human: so long as there are two people left on the planet, someone is going to want someone dead." He pointed at the screen, where the image of the creatures laying waste to the lab was frozen, "That's how these things came to be. We don't know why they were created – I'm guessing some type of super weapon – but the general idea between us is that they were created at the image of the Avatars." He looked at Kyuubi, "They were trying to copy you and your peers."

"What do you mean, 'us'?" Naruto interrupted.

"Me and the Sages before me, you idiot!" Jiraya said, moving quickly and landing a bonk on the blond's head, "The knowledge is passed from master to student in an uninterrupted line, from me until the Sage of the Six Paths."

A shocked silence answered this statement. The Sannin kept inspecting the device, as if not noticing the startled reactions of his three companions. The memory module kept emitting bleeps in answer to the movements of the old pervert's fingers.

"THE SAGE OF THE SIX PATHS?" Sakura almost screeched.

Jiraya lifted his head to her, surprised by the outburst. Then he seemed to realize he had left the previous conversation hanging. Couching up a bit, he continued, "Yes… he was the greatest of us, you know. The true form of a Sage: a Teacher of Men. Most of the people who came after him just kept passing the knowledge between themselves."

"I feel I've heard that name somewhere…" Kyuubi whispered, interrupting any question Naruto or Sakura might have been thinking of asking.

"It's to be expected. He was pretty famous in his time." Jiraya explained, "He did, after all, teach humans to harness chakra; he practically created the ninja world. Sadly people only seem to remember that from him…" he commented.

"What do you mean, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked, feeling more interested in this conversation than he'd ever been on Iruka's lectures on history.

The Toad Sage looked at him, "The Sage of the Six Paths was more than the creator of the Ninja World. He was also an incorruptible pacifist and believed humanity ought to use the gifts he had taught them in order to live better, to erase suffering from the world. Instead we use them to kill each other and generally creating havoc." He shrugged, "I must admit I share his views of World Peace. My greatest dream is that, as I've already told you brat. However, I suppose I'm also a big hypocrite since I continuously use his very teachings to destroy any threat to my village."

Naruto was about to answer when the device let out another noise and the screen suddenly shifted from the characters Jiraya had been typing to an image of something that looked like a map. The map, if it was that, blurred and shifted under their eyes and slowly the lands rearranged themselves. Sakura thought she could identify the Elemental Countries in it…

"Well, I'll be!" Jiraya exclaimed. The sudden change in the module had effectively turned their attention from the previous topic.

Kyuubi leaned forward and pointed, "This here… they're the Elemental Countries, aren't they?"

"Yes. And this is the Southern Continent." The Sage answered, addressing a huge landmass in the lower part of the screen, "From what you told me, you've crossed this part here." He traced a line between the farthest shore and the coast closer to the Elemental lands. It was a fairly large distance, several times greater than the one that separated even the farthest hidden villages.

"I had no idea it was so huge…" Sakura said in a faint voice.

Jiraya nodded. "It is a lot bigger than our half of the world. But it is also much less populated. There are perhaps as many people there, in the entire continent, as there are in Fire Country."

Kyuubi once again called their attention for the map, "What are these points here?" She said, indicating two markings in the map."

Jiraya inspected the screen closely. "Well… if I had to guess, seeing where this one dot here is, I'd say these points mark the position of the facilities of Project Tails. This one here is the one you guys blew up."

Sakura inspected the map, "The other one is close to Wave!" she exclaimed.

Jiraya agreed, "It would seem so." He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully, "I'll go talk to Tsunade about this. I think it is in our interests to investigate this matter more deeply. If this installation as the same creatures and devices as the one you visited, who knows what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands…"

"Like Akatsuki!" Naruto exclaimed, remembering the two figures with the red clouds he'd seen while escaping from the Jaw.

"Yes. I've talked to the Hokage and she's agreed to instate me as your captain. I'll work out a mission with her for us to explore this thing." He waved at the map, "It'll probably be after your exam."

"What a marvelous thing." He said, after a silence, "It still works even after these many years! If this thing had been made with our technology, its batteries would run dry after a week on standby, let alone with constant use!"

Naruto looked at the old man, "Dou you think we should copy it into a scroll or something?" he asked, indicating the map on the screen, "Just in case the power fails, or something."

Jiraya denied, "No. This is forbidden knowledge. It's too dangerous to copy it into physical supports. It's better to just memorize it and secure the module."

Sakura nodded and said, "Right. I can do that, I have a good memory!"

"Alright, I'd better get going." The pervert said, when Sakura finished memorizing the instructions, "If I take any longer, who knows where I'll find Tsunade. She's bound to be in a bar, already…" he said sighing.

Sakura laughed a bit, "I'll help you Jiraya-sensei. I have work to do in the Hospital so I might as well take you to her before going there."

Jiraya nodded his thanks, "Good. Then let's go."

* * *

Naruto had just finished what he calculated to be his twentieth attempt at reproducing the soft alcoholic beverage he'd been served in Berasylle. All the previous experiments had failed, either because they'd been too strong or not nearly sweet enough, and so on, but _this _time he was sure he'd managed it. It wasn't the real thing, of course. He didn't have most of the fruits he'd been informed composed the drink. But he'd improvised and substituted the missing ingredients with other at his disposition and ended up achieving a low alcohol content drink that was very similar to the original. The low grading was convenient too, since he didn't want to become like Baa-chan and end up depended of the sake, although, from what Kyuubi said, it was all a matter of exposure and that he shouldn't abuse of it all the same. He wasn't keen on trying.

He'd just finished taking the tray to the backyard of the house, the bottle he'd used to mix the stuff and the two small cups balanced precariously across it, intent on having Kyuu-chan give him her opinion on his creation, when a bell rung, signaling visitors waiting outside the gates of the estate. This intrigued Naruto because, as far as he knew, only Sakura cam regularly to the estate and she was keyed in. Well, he supposed there was Shikamaru, but he was busy with the team and they usually met either on Ichiraku's or at the Barbeque.

Kyuubi turned her head curiously. She'd taken to walk around on her true form inside the estate, protected by the privacy the seals around the perimeter of the house gave them and reassured that there was little interest in anyone sneaking inside just because – there could be an invasion, of course, but Naruto suspected that if that happened they'd have more important things to worry about than appearances. Her ears quivered in curiosity.

"Who could it be?" she asked.

Naruto frowned, "I'm not expecting anyone… you?"

She gave him a dry look, "Naruto, with the exception of you and a few others I know no one in this village."

He turned around, sighing and, scratching his head, made way for the front yard. Kyuubi stopped him, "Wait!" she said, continuing when he turned to her, "You stay here, busy yourself with the drinks, and I'll go get them!" she suggested, quickly wrapping the forehead protector around her ears and shape-shifting her tails into the complicated attire she was usually seen in.

"Are you sure?" he frowned.

She looked at him in passing, while going for the front, "The seals in this place prevent the Byakuugan from activating and disrupt the chakra flow of non-keyed people. I don't think I have to worry about being found. Besides, it will give you the advantage in a conversation, since you'll appear relaxed and non-too eager to receive someone who hasn't even bothered to announce themselves."

And with that, she left him. Naruto sat down on the edge of the small porch, a place that was rapidly becoming one of his favorites in his house. He'd just finished pouring himself a bit of the drink when a sudden thought occurred him: he wouldn't want any alcohol to lower his defenses; not when he didn't know who would be entering in the following moments. He contented with just breathing the aroma from the spirit.

The sound of footsteps didn't take long to come to his ears. To his surprise, however, both the sounds and the readings he was getting from the Flow seemed to indicate Kyuubi was bringing the visitors around the house instead of through. Yes, visitors. Because the flow was too disturbed to be just a few individuals. Naruto was getting curious and only Kyuubi's words kept him from getting up to meet them.

The Kitsune seemed a bit put off by the entourage that followed her. Not that Naruto could blame the white haired girl: five men in full kimono dressing, their long black hair falling neatly on their backs and walking with the confidence of those born into the world under the blessing of a superior entity. Heading the convoy was Hinata and Neji.

"_Naruto, I'll leave them with you. The Byakugan might not work inside the estate but I better not take any chances."_ The voice of the Vixen Goddess echoed in his head.

"_You're right! Settle yourself inside; I won't be taking them in."_

"_I'll be in the master bedroom…"_

Kyuubi glanced at him and, seeing agreement in his eyes, got past his person and went inside the estate without so much as another word. The Hyuuga remained outside, standing in a rigid formation, while Hinata and Neji stood up front, looking down at his sitting form.

Naruto let the silence stretch until it became mildly uncomfortable. It was somewhat amusing to see the subtle shifts in everyone's stances as he sat there, taking small sips from the little cup in front of him. It reminded him from the look of the teachers at the Academy when he pulled pranks right under their noses. They knew it was him, but they couldn't prove it and so they got uncomfortable: the Hokage wouldn't tolerate unfair punishment, even if it was to the 'Demon Brat'.

"So? What do I owe this visit?" he asked finally, in a soft voice.

Hinata said nothing but Neji shifted and, after giving him a formal bow, not too low but at least sufficiently so that it actually classified as a bow, said "Just a small meeting between two Noble Clans of the Village of Konohagakure, Namikaze-sama. It is the wish of our head to discuss some… matters with you."

Naruto nodded, "Very well. Please do sit down, Hinata-sama, Neji-san." He gestured to the space beside him, "The rest of your group will wait outside the estate until we're done."

Neji started to answer but Hinata beat him to it. In a regal voice that hardly seemed like the timid girl he'd once knew in passing, she answered, "I'm afraid that won't be possible, Naruto. There are part of an official convoy and won't be dismissed."

"_They are trying to put you under pressure by forcing you to play by their rules in your own home field. Acceding to their demands will make you lose authority as a Clan Head." _Kyuubi warned in his head.

"_What is your suggestion, Kyuu-chan?"_ Naruto sent back "_I confess to be a bit put off, I wasn't expecting this reaction from Hinata."_

"_She is just asserting her authority as a Power Figure. These things are quite normal in political plays. That said, I think you better respond in kind and refuse them the rights to be inside the estate."_

"_Won't that create problems?"_ Naruto asked.

"_Normally, yes, but they haven't formally announced their intention of an audience with you before coming here._"

The Namikaze Head put the hollow cup down with a precise, ninja-like movement that left the air resonating with a dry sound. Then he got up and straightened himself revealing that yes, he had, in fact, grown enough during the past three years to be higher than Hinata was. He fixed his eyes on hers and said, in a hard but polite tone, "In that case, I have to request that you abandon my lands, Hyuuga. I have yet to receive official notice of intent of audience from you. Your entourage is, therefore, unrecognized."

Hinata seemed to stiffen as if she'd received a slap to the face. As if perceiving that perdition was upon them, Neji decided to take control of the situation, "Very well, Namikaze-sama, I will take the Branch members with me. We shall await Hinata-sama outside the estate." The he reached out, in a bold move Naruto didn't think he could have done in his place and grabbing his shoulder whispered to him, "Please Naruto… have a bit of patience."

Naruto nodded and sat back down, while Neji led the others around the house. After a bit, he heard Kyuubi relay to him that the Hyuuga had left the lands.

The blond man looked at the pale woman still standing in front of him. Now that the other members of the clan were gone, a considerable part of all the coldness and hardness that had been apparent in Hinata seemed to have disappeared. Now she just seemed a bit insecure as to what the best course of action was.

"Well?" Naruto asked, making her jump a bit in spite of herself, "Are you going to stand there all afternoon? Take a seat."

Hinata hesitated just a fraction of a second before joining him on the porch.

Naruto grabbed the spare cup and filled it with the spirit he'd made before. Then he extended the hand to the girl. Hinata hesitated.

"I assure you I haven't poisoned it, Hinata-chan." Naruto threw with a slight smile.

The familiar way of addressing seemed to shake the other out of her stupor and the black haired woman accepted the drink with a graciousness that Naruto still hadn't managed to get. He ignored the squeal of joy from the Kitsune as she started planning his 'etiquette' lessons.

Hinata sipped the drink with what seemed to be uncertainty. Did she really think he'd pull a prank or something by making her drink the beverage? In order to dispel any possible misgivings, Naruto poured himself a cup and joined her drinking.

"It's so sweet."

The voice came out so soft Naruto barely managed to catch it. Naruto gave her a smile.

"I know." He said, "It's a recipe I got in the Southern Continent. They make it with something they call Rum. I don't have it here so I used Sake but you'd be surprised what a couple of fruits and sugar can achieve in preparing a drink. It can be taken warm or cold, however you like it. It's low content on alcohol but you'd still better not abusing it, especially if you drink it hot."

"It's good…" she seemed to hesitate a bit more, "You got it on the Southern Continent?"

Naruto confirmed and lifted his stare to look at the yard, "That's where I woke up. Kyuu-chan and her village helped me preparing to get back. I caught a lift on a merchant boat from Snow and came to the Elemental Countries."

"You took three years to come back?" she asked quietly.

Naruto stared at her for a bit, before remarking, "I don't think you quite understand the scale of the Southern Continent, Hinata." He took a small sip, "It's much larger than the Elemental Countries and part of it is a huge desert – which I had to cross. It was no easy task. Still, it's true I could have come back sooner, but I met Shikamaru and Sakura-chan on Snow and stayed there until their mission ended."

Hinata paled visibly at the mentioning of the pink-haired ninja. She took a moment to gather herself and when she glanced back to him she found Naruto's eyes looking directly at her.

"Is something going on between the two of you?"

Hinata's face flushed crimson and the cup trembled in her hands, while she tried to control what seemed to Naruto to be anger.

"There is nothing going on between me and that… girl." She said after a while.

"Really?... because what I've been hearing so far does not give me that impression." Naruto remarked.

"There is nothing between us, no matter what others say!" She barked at him angrily, "If Neji or Kiba –"

"Neither Neji, nor Kiba, have said anything about whatever it is you're referring to." Naruto interrupted her, lifting his hand. Then she stared at her with a powerful gaze, "Do not forget Hinata, I'm a Clan Head too. It's my duty to keep myself update to the politics of the village so, naturally, I did a bit of research on the standing of each clan with regards to the Hokage." He felt Kyuubi silently applaud his move and almost sighed in relief: about time he did something right in these Clan things. "Every one of the Clans with people I knew supported the Hokage in the power plays of the village except yours, Hinata-chan. I got curious as to why that was and asked around. The rest came by itself." Truthfully, he hadn't had to do research. Sakura's confessions and his pears ramblings after that fateful Council Meeting had given him most of the information he'd needed… but Hinata didn't need to know that, "Some people seemed to be under the impression that the Hyuuga Clan didn't sit well with the Haruno Clan, for some reason…"

"Don't talk to me about that accursed girl's family!" Hinata choked out angrily. She seemed to be having some difficulty breathing.

Naruto regarded her, frowning, "You've changed Hinata." He remarked softly, "What happened to the gentle girl I knew? The old Hinata would never have slandered a friend like that."

"She was murdered along with her dreams the day you died!" she answered hotly, "by that so called friend!"

"If there is anything truly immortal, then that would be dreams." Naruto answered, taking another sip from the cup. He could hear her breathing, labored as it had become.

"Why do you blame Sakura, Hinata?"

"If it hadn't been for her selfish demands, you would never have gone away!" she bit out in response.

"Sakura never wanted my death, Hinata." Naruto stated, apparently not noticing the way the other girl flinched at the word 'death', "We were kids back then, we didn't know any better. No one forced me to do anything; I wanted Sasuke back too. Sakura was just trying to make her dreams reality…"

"She's a selfish, childish person, who cares about nothing but herself and even had the gall to FUCK WITH YOUR MURDERER AFTER HE'D KILLED YOU!" she screamed, tears starting to appear at the corners of her eyes.

But she'd gone too far. Naruto's self-control slipped momentarily and the Flow answered accordingly to his anger. Hinata jumped as the cup in his hands shattered by some unseen force and the air around them started to vibrate with power. The girl froze when he turned cold, furious eyes towards her.

"Do you consider _rape_ a fun thing to suffer, Hinata?" he asked in a slow, dangerous voice.

Hinata barely managed to register what he'd said. All her composure seemed to have slipped away and she appeared to have reverted to the mannerisms that had characterized her in the past.

Now it was Naruto who had difficult to breathe.

"Do you have ANY idea of what she's suffered, these past few years?" he barked back at her, "We met a clone of the Bastard on our way here from Snow. Do you know what he did? He offered to rape her again, because she'd refused to bear his children! He viewed her as nothing more than a vessel for his offspring! Try to wrap your mind around that, for a moment!" he was practically towering above her now, "And _you_! Instead of helping her surpass the trauma, you turn half the village against her and insult her at every opportunity you have!"

"I-I-I didn't know!" Hinata managed to stammer, "God, I didn't know, Naruto!" a lone tear slipped down her cheek.

The blond ninja seemed to become suddenly aware of the aura he'd been projecting. Suddenly weary and embarrassed at his slip of control he turned his back to her. Hinata sniffed a bit and hiccupped silently.

"Go." He said. "And don't come back until you've thought about what you've learned today. Of what you've done."

He managed to catch a glimpse of her tortured face and her red eyes as she hurried away from him.

Naruto sighed in frustration and ruffled his head, despaired.

"Damn it!"

* * *

The evening was subdued at Ichiraku's. Normally, Kyuubi would have objected to Ramen for two consecutive days, but Naruto seemed to have been in need of some comfort. She could do with Ramen for another day.

Naruto had finished recounting her the events of the afternoon and was dejectedly slurping the noodles on his bowl when they heard footsteps behind them. Thinking that it might be Sakura returning from her duty at the hospital, the pair turned, only to be surprised at finding a woman with black unruly hair and red eyes approaching them.

"Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked, after frantically trying to remember the Jounin's name.

Kurenai gave him a slight bow and then another to Kyuubi.

"Hello, Naruto. Welcome back." She had a soft voice and Naruto could understand why Hinata had liked her teacher so much. "May I join you?" she asked, motioning for the counter.

"S-Sure!" Naruto replied, surprised.

There was a silence as Kurenai asked for her order and they waited for Teuchi to finish making it. When the order arrived the Jounin played with it for a few moments before saying, "I heard Hinata visited you today… how did it go?"

Naruto gulped down the ramen and said, in a cavernous voice, "It was a catastrophe." And told her of how things had gone, I don't understand what Sakura might have done to make Hinata hate her so much…"

Kurenai sighed.

"I think you're not seeing the true source of the problem here, Naruto…" she said, picking at the food, "I don't think what really bothers Hinata is the fact that Sakura liked Sasuke or not… It might have been her action based on those feelings, in the beginning, but I think the matter is a bit more complicated now."

"What do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked, the Ramen on his bowl forgotten at the possibility of someone putting some sense on the situation.

"Hinata… she's always had feelings for you Naruto." She stated, shocking Naruto at the revelation. There was a startled cough from his side, as Kyuubi hastily swallowed her food. Kurenai continued as if nothing had occurred, "she looked up to you, I guess. She's had a hard childhood with all the expectations her father had for her, and she was always a timid girl, so you exuberance must have drawn her to you, I suppose. I think she hates Sakura because the mission to retrieve the boy she professed to love resulted in Hinata losing all opportunity she had to confess to you." She paused to look at Naruto, who was staring back at her with his jaw open in shock. "And now you returned… and I think, in addition to all the turmoil she was already feeling, she also blames herself for giving you up as lost when you ended up coming back after all. Things are tense at the Hyuuga compound…" she finished.

"… what a fucked up situation!" Naruto exclaimed in a low voice, effectively summing everyone's opinions on the subject.

Kurenai breathed deeply, as she finished eating, "You're absolutely right. It is 'fucked up'. However, do not blame yourself for the situation, Naruto. These are Hinata's problems. She's still a bit of a child, even though she'll never admit, and it's time for her to solve her own problems. This is something between her and her husband, at best. We can only hope things will come around for the best." She concluded.

Naruto nodded, feeling better despite himself. Kurenai bid them goodbye and Naruto turned to his bowl, to finish his meal. It was empty.

"Wha- Kyuu-chan!"

**A/N.: Another chapter for your viewing pleasure. Review, please.**


	25. Another Test!

Chapter XV

The sunny beginings for the day were not a good clue to the amount of destruction half of Konoha would be facing through the following 24 hours.

Naruto and Kyuubi had, after a summons from the Hokage that had arrived at his complex fairly early, given what he knew (or thought he did) about the working habits of the Godaime, made their way to the Tower in the centre of the village only to be informed that half of it had been evacuated and prepared for their evaluation exam. The testing area had been isolated and sealed off from the rest of the village by a special array of Fuuinjutsu, courtesy of Jiraya. Several Jounin chosen by the Hokage were stationed at key points through out the sealed section of Konoha and would be acting as judges, observing their movements and making considerations of their decisions, while the Jounin-senseis of Naruto's graduating class would function as opponents, either directly engaging Naruto and Kyuubi or trying to hamper their progress in some way.

The 'mission', in itself, was deceptively simple: to make their way to the opposite end of the village, enter a small shrine next to the village Wall, extract a scroll on the altar and return to the tower unscathed with the scroll.

All this had been explained to them in a rush and then both were left inside a room to discuss their course of action for five minutes. Then they'd have to start running. The time limit: an hour. Fairly easy at first glance, considering Naruto could easily cover the distance involved in the exam in barely 15 minutes on foot, let alone using the abilities the Flow enabled him to use.

The suddenness of the summoning and the rush in which the exam was explained left the two ninja with the feeling that they had been purposefully been kept in the dark, in order to gauge how they would react when faced with an unexpected situation. Look underneath the underneath and be prepared for any eventuality, and such.

As soon as they were left alone, Naruto and Kyuubi traded a look and immediately engaged in a discussion through their mental link.

_'So?What do you think, Kyuu-chan?'_

_'This is obviously some kind of modified Chuunin Exam, or something. I guess they're bypassing the theoretical examination and the show to the nobles and going straight for field application...'_

_'I hear ya... how do you want to do this? Together we'd probably be a greater military force.'_

_'We'd also be much more easier to corner and spot. I think we're better off separating from each other and make our way there alone...' _Kyuubi answered pensively, '_I'll go first. I can use my shape-shifting abilities to attract the attention of any pursuers and lose them after a while.'_

_'Yeah.'_ Naruto agreed mentally, '_Except the area we're testing has been evacuated and there is no crowd to disappear into.'_

Kyuubi stared at the blond, startled by having forgotten such an important detail and somewhat surprised at his insight. Although, come to think of it, she should have expected it: he did have a lot of experience at evading unwanted pursuers.

'_Well...'_ she drawled as an idea came crawling into her head, '_We could always use the populated area of the village... they only told us to get to the scroll, they never said we were restricted to the evacuated zone...'_

_'Maybe... but won't that put the villagers at risk?'_

_'Only if we engage someone. But we'll have a better chance of success if we stay incognito and avoid direct confrontations. If we are discovered we'll return to the testing area and proceed from there...'_

_'Sounds good. Although, Kyuu-chan, I could always fly us out there, grab the scroll and return us here without all the trouble we're predicting.' _Naruto answered dryly.

Kyuubi frowned, _'True. But, Naruto, I think its best if you do not flaunt your new abilities. I think we should try to do this without the active Flow techniques. It's not that I don't trust your fellow ninja,' _she added hastily, as if afraid of some misunderstanding.

Naruto interrupted her with a wave of his hand before she could continue, '_OK, OK, it was just an idea, and I can sort of understand what you're getting to, I guess... No need to justify your opinions, __Kyuu-chan.' _he paused before grinning, _'Ready?'_

Kyuubi returned a ferocious grin of her own in answer to his and the two of them launched themselves out of the window.

* * *

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as the two shadows blurring out of the window in the Hokage's Tower signaled the escape the two examinees. Adjusting the microphone closer to his mask, he whispered to the other examiners, "Dog here. They've just exited the Tower. Heading towards you on a steady pace, Turtle."

The answer came almost immediately, in such a quiet way that people who didn't know him wouldn't believe it was Gai on the other side, "Roger that, Dog. I'll await their passage and pursuit their trail."

"They seem to have decided to stay together, for now. Will follow at a safe distance." Kakashi informed the other teachers, "How are the preparations for the trap, Stag? Owl?"

Asuma's grave voice cackled softly on his ear, "We're ready for them, Dog. Jiraya-sama has also reserved a surprise for those two further ahead, in case they escaped. He wouldn't say what it was, though..." his voice grumbled as if slightly annoyed.

"How about Owl?" Kakashi insisted.

Kurenai's voice answered him, sounding slightly upset, "I'm also ready. I still don't like our codenames. Why do I have to be called Owl? I understand Kakashi and Gai but I don't even have a summons!"

Asuma's voice sounded amused now, "Come now, Kurenai-chan. You know your eyes are one of your most... enthralling features..." Asuma sidesteped the mistake of classifying them as her most defining feature with a skill that left Kakashi slightly impressed, "It seemed natural... At least your name has to do with you; look at me, I had to be defined by my student's family natural reserve."

Both men chuckled lightly at the grumbling from the young female Jounin until Gai's voice called them back to reality, "Got them. They should arrive at your positions in ten minutes, at current speed, Asuma-san."

"Let them come, Gai!" Asuma said, his voice betraying the enthusiasm he seemed to be feeling.

Kakashi sped up until he was able to track the pair of ninja with his sight alone. They moved with remarkable speed and flowed from one stance to the other with a natural grace that left Kakashi strangely proud. His student had come a long way, even if he wasn't, technically, his student any more.

As the pair entered the trap zone, a barrage of Jutsu exploded towards them.

"What are they doing?" came Gai's wondering question.

"Shit! They won't be able to evade it!" came Kurenai's startled voice.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he watched the pair of ninja turn towards the general position of Gai and himself, making no attempt to dodge the Huge fireball about to envelope them and shouted, in a voice loud enough for all of them to hear, "SUCKERS!" before disappearing in a burst of smoke.

The swearing that echoed in the radio was accompanied by his own expletives. 'Shit! Of course! How could I forget: Kage Bunshin! Naruto's signature move!'

"Asuma!" he bellowed into the microphone, "Use your wind techniques to try and pick up their movements! Kurenai: back track and see if they're coming in behind us! Gai, you're the most capable physically, go on ahead and try to stall them in case they've passed us by! Do it, people!"

A chorus of agreement answered him in return for his orders, as Kakashi hurriedly loosened up the scroll on his jacket and cut his thumb on a specifically designed appendage on the piece of clothing. He couldn't believe how fast is ANBU Commander persona had been established at the setback. But the way they'd been tricked, the anger at his own mistake and the thrill he was simultaneously feeling at engaging in a war game against one of the few people he would call a friend, no matter how embarrassing it would be to admit it aloud to Naruto, had Kakashi's blood running through his veins like few things outside a death threat situation did.

With quick, practiced movements, he sprayed the blood across the seals on the scroll and summoned Pakkun, his most sharp-nosed (and tongued) ninja-hound.

"Pakkun," Kakashi started hurriedly, showing him a piece of clothing he'd had the care of... borrowing from Naruto, "find me this scent and do it quickly!"

The dog spared him a flat stare before taking the cloth in his mouth and setting it on the ground. As the hound gave it several sniffs to memorize the scent, Kakashi contacted his team-mates, "Stag, Turtle, Owl? What can you tell me?"

"They're not behind us so far as I can see, Dog." Kurenai's voice answered him.

"They're not ahead of us either. I've already went as far as the shrine. Nothing." Gai echoed back.

"What about Stag?"

"Kakashi, my tracking skills were never great to begin with but, as far as I can sense, we're the only ones moving in the testing area. If they've gone underground we'll be in for a heap of trouble. None of us are too good with Earth techniques. They've effectively disappeared. And there's no one to blame but our own incompetence!"

It was true. Of the four of them , Kakashi was undoubtedly the one with the most Earth Jutsu in his repertoire. But, similarly to Gai, those were Jutsu designed for direct confrontation, not tracking. Shit! If only they had Tenzo in the group...

Pakkun gave a small bark and said, "Found it!"

"OK, team, Pakkun has found a trail. Follow my lead." he communicated to the radio. Then he turned to the small dog, "Where to, Pakkun?"

Kakashi lifted his head and followed the path painted by the hound's head movement. He swore quietly, "Fuck."

"What is it?" asked Kurenai's voice, as she landed next to him, followed by their two companions, "Where have they gone?"

In response, Kakashi merely pointed.

In the mid-distance, overcrowded by the evacuation for the exam, was the busy commercial district of Konoha, crawling with people.

* * *

Naruto smiled as the memories from the Kage Bunshin he'd created with the help of Kyuu-chan's chakra flooded back to him. The yell of outrage from Kakashi-sensei that reached him just before the clone dispersed still ringing in his ears.

'_Did you get that, Kyuu-chan?'_ he asked through the link, cackling silently with mirth.

'_Yes!' _was the vixen girl's amused response, '_Doubtless they'll be tracking us now. We'd better move. Let's meet at the shrine and then blast our way through any resistance we find on the way back!'_ she added, the excitement of the test finally catching up to her.

"OK!" Naruto screamed back, forgetting himself in all the excitement.

There was a moment when everything around him went quiet, the people in the square looking at him, surprised at his outburst. Then, as if everything was happening in slow motion, the faces of several girls in the crowd twisted into grotesque masks of glee and, with several squeals of joy, they launched towards him.

"Oh shit!"

_'What? What is it?' _Came Kyuubi's startled question.

_'Fan girls!'_ Naruto sent back in a very lady-like shriek.

Had he not been occupied dodging the rabid females, Naruto would have been able to catch the half exasperated, half amused sigh from Kyuubi but, as he dodged a particularly vicious hand, whose nails seemed, at that point more like claws from the demonic, corrupted Nine-Tails, than a Human one, he only managed to catch her suggestion that they return to the testing area and regroup as soon as possible, considering the close they already were to the shrine. Naruto jumped to the air, actually using the Flow a bit to manoeuvre out of the girls reach, grabbed a mask to disguise himself from one of the counters on the market, left a few coins to pay for it and bolted out of the market square.

* * *

The yells from the excited females on the market did indeed attract Kakashi and his team to the place. What they found there made the war veterans feel like they had entered ground zero for a highly destructive Jutsu due to the sheer noise alone. The agitation was so outspread that it would be almost impossible trying to find Naruto or Kyuu in the crowd.

He surveyed the area attentively, before turning to his companions, "Asuma, Kurenai, please interrogate the civilians and try to get a feel of where they might have escaped to. Gai and I will go ahead and try to cut them off."

The two other ninja nodded and merged with the people.

As Kakashi and Gai made their way to the end of the market, still looking for a sign of the two examinees, they would catch bits of pieces of the conversations both Kurenai and Asuma engaged in, trying to get some straight answers as to the whereabouts of the two ninja and instead getting responses concerning how coll Naruto-sama was and how handsome.

They were inside the sealed area again when the radio cackled.

"I absolutely despise fan girls!" Came Asuma's frustrated comment.

Kakashi was about to answer in humour when a flash of something in his sharingan eye attracted his attention.

"Gai." he mumbled, instantly getting the other Jounin's attention, "Large chakra source ahead." he said pointing to an alley.

Nodding, Gai sped up and, with incredible velocity, made its way to the other side of the marked street.

Kakashi picked up speed as well and entered the alley just in time to see Gai skid to a stop on the other side, effectively closing Kyuubi's escape routes.

Without even giving them the opportunity to say something, the white haired girl launched herself at Gai, of all people, and engaged him in direct confrontation. Kakashi was still trying to process the stupidity of the girl's decision when his brain seemed to pick up on the fact that the girl was actually giving the Taijutsu specialist a run for his money.

The scraps of cloth that she had hanging from her rather large white belt and which, under normal circumstances, formed that strange half-skirt the woman seemed so fond of, twisted and moved with a life of their own, intercepting or softening blows whenever they connected with her body, occasionally providing enough distraction to allow Kyuu to score a blow against Gai – and if the cringing the Taijutsu master displayed at those times was accurate, her physical attacks were not to be taken lightly!

Gai dodged another blow and Kakashi launched himself into the fray. Immediately, the kunoichi broke away from the engagement and jumped up, using the walls of the street as springboards. Kakashi and Gai gave chase, only to dodge hastily as a large fireball came crashing down on them. The whole confrontation was strange in Kakashi's mind and he finally understood why: the girl wasn't overly concerned with escaping them, which meant she was acting as a decoy.

Both of the examiners jumped to the roofs of the houses and ran after the fleeing girl, edging towards the centre line of the testing area and away from the populated zones. Kakashi mentally sighed in relief. It seemed they'd fallen back into the warded zone after being discovered, in an attempt to keep harm from befalling the villagers. This was in agreement with what he knew of Naruto's character.

He adjusted the radio system once more, intent on calling back Asuma and Kurenai when something very strange happened. The girl, who had been steadily loosing ground to them, seemed to suddenly trip on air and fell down to a deserted small street. He thought he heard a scream. As he and Gai edged closer, the scream became a howling NO! There was an immaterial shock wave. Kakashi suddenly felt like he was walking on sawdust. The buildings around them seemed to ripple and waver, before dismantling themselves in smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming a dusty material. Kakashi waved his arms like a child, trying to regain footing on a roof that wasn't there any more. He saw Gai trying to do the same. And then... darkness.

* * *

Kyuubi jumped over the roof, trying to put some distance between her and the two Jounin.

'_They found me, Naruto. I'm going to try and lead them away to clear the path for you.'_ she sent to her contractor.

'_Got it. As soon as I get a hold on the scroll I'll contact you.'_

_'OK. I'll see you soon!' _she said almost lovingly. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Naruto didn't seem to catch the tone her voice had traitorously added to the phrase.

She prepared herself to turn around and was actually already starting the movement when Naruto's voice sounded in her head again. It had a strange quality to it, almost like static present in the normally clean 'reception'.

'_Huh? That's strange...'_

_'What is it?" _she asked, the speed of thought-talk so great that not a second passed between interchanges.

'_I'm having this strange, weird feeling, as if-'_

_'Naruto? NARUTO?'_ Kyuubi called, scared at the way the connection abruptly ended.

There was no answer.

Frantically, she tried to catch him again. The action, usually something so easy it actually classified as instinctual, seemed impossible now. Kyuubi searched for the connection, only to trip over her own feet, when she failed to find it. The link between the two was gone!

The kitsune's mind went into overdrive. Naruto could sever the conversation, if he wanted to, but the link, the port, so to speak, was always there in her mind, even if she was incapable of communicating with him due to his block. He had done it before, when they had fought shortly after returning to Konoha, when each other's stress and weariness were still dragging them down, psychologically if not physically. But for the link to completely disappear, there was only one explanation: Naruto was dead.

Grief grasped her heart and squeezed the despair out into her body. Her mouth opened and let out a howl so powerful the windows around her shattered and, for the first time in hundreds of years,Teumess Cadmius Huli-Jing Achomawi Mamaceqtaw Ysengrimus Reinard, aka Kyuubi, aka Kyuu-chan, taped into her power as the Goddess.

A split second before she touched the ground a burst of power spread from her body, all her frustration, rage, sorrow and desperation infused in it. The surrounding area wavered like a dispelling Genjutsu and turned to dust, as the expanding sphere of power made contact with the buildings.

* * *

Naruto, the mask still in place, him having forgotten to remove it, stared at the destruction from the top of a house.

Seconds after his connection to Kyuu-chan had been severed – for reasons he still hadn't figured out – something happened. The last thing he knew, the buildings around him started to collapse and shower him in dust. If he hadn't used the Flow to burst out of the way, he'd surely have to swim back to the surface.

The central half of the testing area, a heavily constructed place just a few instants before the Event, as he decided to call it, was now reduced to piles of dust that reminded him of the desert, somehow.

Naruto grabbed his head as the connection suddenly returned and the full force of Kyuubi's anguish hit him whole. He gasped, feeling his eyes water at the grief he was sensing alone, before calling out to the kitsune, in an attempt to stop her suffering.

'_NARUTO?'_ came the slightly crazed, despairing retort, '_WHERE ARE YOU?'_

_'I'm here, I'm almost at the shrine.' _he answered, sending her a pulse to orientate the vixen girl, '_Kyuu-chan... WHAT HAPPENED?'_

He received no answer as a blur of white entered his field of vision and the girl tackled him hard, sending both of them to tumbling to the ground.

The force of the impact was so great it actually sent Naruto sliding across the ground. With a slight bump, his head impacted on something and he felt an object fall to his head and bounce to the ground. It was the scroll.

"Hey, good show, Kyuu-chan!" he said, laughing, "You found us the scroll."

The mirth he felt disappeared immediately as he took notice of her tear-streaked face.

"K-Kyuu-chan! W-What's wrong?" he asked, taking the mask off and pocketing it.

The girl gripped his black clothes and buried her face in his chest, mumbling, "I thought I'd lost you! Oh, Kami, I thought you'd died."

"W-Why?" he asked, blanching.

"The connection. It disappeared. It should only do that if you die. What happened?"

"I don't know." he said, frowning, "One moment I'm talking to you. Then I enter a new square and I suddenly couldn't reach you any more." he shrugged, "It came back the moment the buildings went down, though. Was that you?"

"Yes, I... I panicked, I'm sorry." she shook her head as if trying to clear it, "I probably buried your sensei and that guy in the spandex under a lot of dust, though."

Naruto laughed, as he pictured Kakashi-sensei digging itself out of the mess Kyuubi left behind, dragging a half-buried Gai with him.

"Well, at least we'll have the way clear, now!" he exclaimed, laughing as he twirled the scroll and gave a tighter squeeze on the hug he was sharing with the kitsune.

* * *

**A/N.: We interrupt this sickening, heart-warming moment to bring you to your scheduled Author's Note: **

**A new chapter, because I was actually feeling uncomfortable with how much time it was taking me to update. Blame it on Life. And FFnet, for not allowing me to upload the chapter; something about an error 2... Also, since there are a lot of people asking, Kyuu-chan and Naruto will get together and... do things in... chapter XXXI; just six chapters away(or five if you don't count the chapter itself).**

**As you can see, Kyuu is a bit... irracional when it comes to Naruto and danger... hmm...**

**Also, on another note, to any female reading this story, please note that the representations of your gender in this story and this chapter in particular, are merely artistic liberties for the story and in no way relate to the author's views on the matter :-P  
**


	26. Surprise Mission

Chapter XXVI

The low buzz in the room died almost immediately as the Godaime entered the room. Some of the examiners sat straighter once the one who was, maybe arguably, the strongest woman on Fire Country got to her chair, at the head of the large, round table. Accompanying the Hokage came the Toad Sage Jiraya, sporting burnt clothes and dishevelled hair that left more than just a few of the examiners staring in surprise.

Tsunade sat down, unperturbed by the attention her former team-mate seemed to be gathering, and asked to the table in general.

"Your thoughts."

Immediately, half the table exploded in considerations, some speaking in an uninterested, professional monotone, others with a lot more enthusiasm. The Godaime raised a hand and it said something about the power she held that the entire room immediately fell silent.

"One at a time, please. I have a headache." turning to one of the ninja, she asked, "Toji?"

The man stayed silent for a moment, before answering, "I believe they're good enough for, at least, Chuunin rank. They have power, they have abilities; it's time we start giving the ranks to the students based on skills rather than on the whims and susceptibilities of the nobles."

There was a general murmur of agreement and then another ninja spoke his mind, "That's without saying that we could use a few more engagement teams; basing graduating tests on the ability to command and 'comradeship' is all very good, but we'll need some serious fighting power if the worldwide situation keeps turning for the worth..."

A scarred Chuunin with a spiky dark hair in a ponytail shifted in his seat. The Godaime spared him a side glance and asked, "Do you have anything to contribute, Iruka?"

The academy teacher coughed slightly, "Yes, actually. Regarding leadership abilities, I don't think we'll have to worry too much. Although the test didn't actually evaluate those skills, Naruto has shown to be capable to both guide and teach fellow ninja. I'm sure Ebisu could testify to that; he did after all, teach Konohamaru..."

Said person adjusted his sunglasses, which he wore even inside the room, and agreed, "True. Konohamaru has shown to be able to perform both Kage Bunshin _and_ the Yondaime's Jutsu, Rasengan. When I asked him about it, he informed me that it had been Naruto who taught him those. This was shortly after he disappeared." the trainer of Hokage paused a little before continuing, more slowly, "I am more worried about his partner. That girl, Kyuu, was it? Showed a bit of instability when the incident happened. What was that, by the way? Do we have info on it, already?"

"That was my fault." Interrupted Jiraya, "I attempted to inscribe a complicated seal array into the testing area. When functioning correctly, it would disrupt their chakra manipulation and severely restrict their ability to perform Jutsu. However," and he threw and irritated look at Tsunade, "someone decided to warn me about this test only an hour before it began. Fuuinjutsu takes time and the slightest mistake can be fatal. The destruction you witnessed was due to a fault in the sealing system. The results of the backlash are visible on my clothes and hair..."

Toji spoke, once again, "I see... what about the village then? The area affected will take time to repair."

Tsunade spoke again, "Don't be too concerned. Jiraya has one of his toys ready for it."

"It's a Reverse Entropy Seal, Tsunade." Jiraya almost growled at the Kage, "I'll have to rest first, before activating it. Your little secrecy almost killed me back there!" Tsunade remained impassive at the outburst.

"Going back to Kyuu's mental stability, it might be a good idea for her to have a session with a psychologist on Konoha's Hospital."

Tsunade shook he head slightly, "Perhaps. I will keep that in mind, or maybe even do the session myself. Although, I am not too concerned with it." she raised her hand once more as a barrage of questions about the validity of such dismissal assaulted her, "You have to consider the two of them passed over three years in the wildernesses. Crossing the World. Facing Nature. Alone." the Godaime pressed, stressing her point, "We are ninja, yes." she allowed, predicting the argument before it left Kazumi's mouth, "we must be prepared for any eventuality, yes. We deal with death and dangers on a daily basis, maybe..." she allowed, fixing a glare on the ninja, "but do not, for a moment, underestimate the effects of isolation and loneliness. Nor, for that fact, the harshness of conquering a truly wild environment. Out of all of us, Jiraya is the only one who has truly done it before; he can attest to its difficulty."

Jiraya nodded, thinking back to the harsh training in the hostile (for humans) wilderness of Myõbokuzan at the hands of Fukasaku.

Tsunade continued, "That said, it's natural for them to have formed a deeper than usual bond between the two of them. I only wish most of our other teams had such a sense of dependableness between their members."

There were some scattered chuckles at this. Tsunade clapped her hands.

"Since we seem to be in agreement, let's make it official. Naruto and Kyuu are now Chuunin of the village. You're dismissed."

As the examiners left the room, a shadow materialized behind the Hokage. Without turning, she said: "I'll give your request its due thought, Izumi. But despite Ebisu's misgivings, I'm far more worried about Sakura's mental health than any other member of that team. I need to make sure everything is all right before committing them to any kind of Black Ops."

* * *

When the Hokage returned to her office, Jiraya was already there, having entered from the window once again.

Tsunade circled the desk and sat down, looking at the pervert.

"So? What really happened?"

Jiraya looked up from the small seal module he'd been working at. He shrugged.

"I guess we got to see a small example of the power of a Deity."

"Small, huh?"

"Of course. The Ichibi alone would probably be able to wreck much more havoc than what she just did. That was a pathetically small amount of the power she has at her disposal." Jiraya stopped briefly to inspect a few characters on the seal and continued, "I have no clear idea of what happened. That seal array was supposed to interfere with chakra control. Of course," he said, returning to his inspection of the seal, as if struck by a sudden idea, "it has been known to have nasty side-effects on the Yamanaka clan's Jutsu; but unless Naruto and Kyuu-chan have some kind of mental connection, I don't know what happened."

"A mind-link?"

Jiraya straightened again, "Who knows?" he answered, looking at the Godaime, "it's not like we have a lot of experience as far as contracts with Gods go, right?" he got up, apparently satisfied with his work, "But Ebisu was right on that, though: I must take my time and try to impress the girl to keep control. Otherwise, she just might blow us all up, one day..."

There was a moment of silence as the Hokage took a sip of the ever present bottle of sake and the Toad Sennin started gathering his drawing tools back into his pouch.

"So? What kind of team will we be? You know most teams are separated after Chuunin..."

Tsunade turned to the windows and surveyed the village, her chin between her hands.

"I'm not sure yet... I'm getting fed up with Danzo's little plotting. And that idiot Homura is so hot-headed it makes him controllable. He's in Danzo's hands for now. I swear out of those old badgers, only Koharu seems to retain some sense in her head." the Godaime states, "It's time I start taking my power back. And I'll start with Naruto and his team." she said, eyeing the damaged only one of its members could do.

Jiraya nodded, "Truly an astounding Combat potential. I almost feel sorry for whoever gets on their bad side. I can see why the ANBU are itching to get their hands on them. Danzo too, I guess." he paused, before an idea came to his mind, "Why don't you get them the same status as the Sannin?"

"I'll think about it." Tsunade drawled, unwilling to compromise what was going in her head, "And your clothes?"

Jiraya looked down and picked at his shirt, "What this? This is what happens when you're caught in the backlash of a shield-wall after the seals maintaining it are overpowered. I said it was a small amount of the Goddesses power, Tsunade, but don't let that fool you. It still packed quite a punch." he swallowed before saying, more seriously, "Now... are you ready?"

Tsunade nodded, her hands already glowing green.

"Good. Back me up then. Restoring that much space will take most of what I have, if not all. Keep my heart beating, blondie."

Jiraya pressed his hands on the seal and channelled the chakra. An eerie blue glow enveloped the testing area.

* * *

"This is kind of relaxing, you know?"

"Of course I do! Why do you think I insist in participating in it every time he does it?"

"I hate the two of you so much!" Naruto grumbled.

Kyuubi threw him a playful pout, "Aw, don't say that, Naruto-kun." she cooed, putting an undertone on his name that he couldn't identify but still sent an electric jolt running down his spine and into his head, "if I thought you were serious I'd have been hurt!"

Naruto declined to comment, focusing on keeping his balance instead. The relaxing activity both Kyuubi and Sakura had been hinting at, consisted in him levitating the two of them into the air. Weightless, the girls were free to relax and sometimes, in Sakura's case, to catch some sleep while hanging in the most crazy positions, suspended in the air. Naruto didn't mind Sakura sleeping. In fact he encouraged it in whichever ways he could, normally by stabilizing her drifting across the rooms or by swinging her softly back and forth until the repeated movement wore down the pink haired girl's awareness. Sakura needed sleep. She was much better than Naruto remembered her from Snow but, even so, now that the reparations on the Namikaze Estate were mostly concluded and Sakura had returned to her apartment (in an effort to keep the rumours about their possible relationship – existent or otherwise – from escalating), he could still see the bags under her eyes that told quite clearly how much rest she was getting: none.

No, what bugged Naruto was that, while the girls played and rested, _he_ had to be upside down, standing only on one finger, while balancing on top of a chair. This concentration exercise – courtesy of Kyuubi – had taken new levels of cruelty when the kitsune demanded he did it with only one of the legs of the chair touching the ground. There was something to be said about how uncomfortable it was to hang upside-down for several hours straight. But there was no denying it vastly improved on his control of the Flow, not that he'd actually admit it out loud to the vixen-girl.

It had been two days since their exam and they still hadn't heard anything regarding the results. Something that was bugging Naruto quite a bit.

"How much time do you thing it will take for them to finish our evaluation?" he asked in the general direction of the girls, in-between small pants of exhaustion. It was difficult to look at someone when they were floating next to the ceiling and you were upside-down.

"I don't know." Kyuubi answered, "I confess I'm curious, but I'm not overly worried: Genin, Chuunin, Jounin... they're just names. I know how capable we are without a silly title before our names."

"I want to be able to shove the Chuunin title in Kiba's face!" Naruto asserted, flailing his arm around and wobbling dangerously on the chair.

Kiba had returned from Team 8's mission and, after the normal celebration at seeing Naruto back, and more importantly alive, proceeded to openly laugh in his face at the fact that he still was stuck as Genin.

The blond ninja opened his mouth, presumably for badmouthing the Inuzuka some more, when a loud bang echoed through the room, rattling the furniture like an earthquake. Kyuubi and Sakura fell to the bed, which cracked dangerously from the weight, as the young man lost his concentration and equilibrium, promptly falling to the floor. There was a croak and Naruto found himself jumped on by a large orange toad.

"Bro!"

Naruto eyed the creature with surprise.

"Gamakichi!" Wow. He had gotten big. Naruto hoped he didn't demand candy as payment any more, because he was sure he didn't have the money to afford its expensive tastes.

Said toad was more interested in rubbing his head against Naruto, which, considering his size, made for quite a pressure on his sternum, "We all thought you were gone, bro! We couldn't believe it when Tsunade said you had returned."

Gamakichi finally released him before asking: "How come you didn't appear on our scroll of sealing, any ways?"

"Huh... what?" Naruto asked, intelligently.

"Oh, right! You don't know." the big creature mused, "When you signed that scroll to start the contract with us and pops accepted you, you're name was inscribed in the scroll of summoners. It remains there for as long as the summoner is alive – or remains in contract with us at any rate." he narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "You didn't trade us for another summon, did you bro?"

"Ham... not exactly..." Naruto answered, raising his hands in a placating gesture when he noticed the face Gamakichi was making, "Look, I died, O.K.? I really did." he said sending a worried look at the bed where Sakura was occupied disentangling herself from the sheets. She appeared to not have heard him, "I got back to life thanks to the help of the Twelve-Tailed Goddess; The contract was necessary, right Kyuu-chan?" he asked, seeking help from the Vixen-Girl.

"It's true." Said the Goddess, exiting from the bed and making a show of herself for the toad.

Gamakichi narrowed his eyes and checked the girl upside-down. Then he made his way to her and, standing on his hind legs, elevated himself to her eye level, "This?" he asked to the surroundings, "_This_ is why Bro stopped being our contractor?" the incredulity in his voice was only supplanted by the contempt that dripped from the words.

Naruto watched in morbid fascination as a nervous tick developed in Kyuubi's cheek in addiction to the bulging vein that started to show on her forehead. She bared her teeth in an intimidating sneer as the two beings foreheads clashed together and each tried to stare the other down.

"You've got guts speaking to me like that, little creature!" Kyuubi said, a trembling smile appearing on her face, twitching in accordance with the eyebrow.. The apparition only made for an even greater intimidating factor, oddly. "Punk! You should show some respect to your betters, you know?"

"Betters? And where are those betters?" Gamakichi growled, in an impressive imitation of the Yakuza bosses Naruto used to read in comic books. "All I see here is a snot nosed little girl."

There was a loud pop as Kyuubi clenched her fist. "Careful... it would be a shame to splatter a cute little frog like you on the wall..."

At the word 'frog', Naruto suddenly realized Gamakichi had grabbed a small katana that hung from his side. Both creatures were now sporting pleasant smiles on their faces that seemed eerily out of place, considering the situation.

Naruto was trying to figure out the best course of action in order to prevent the impending clash when Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands. Appearing by their side, the girl quickly wiped her closed fists across the heads of Kyuubi and Gamakichi. There was a loud yelp and Kyuubi looked at Sakura with wide eyes, as if unable to believe she'd just clubbed her on the head. Gamakichi said nothing, occupied with grabbing his throbbing scalp, little tears leaking from his eyes.

"Stop this! It's ridiculous!" the pink haired girl growled.

"Easy, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, looking directly at the two trouble-makers, "I'm sure they wouldn't let things go... too far."

Kyuubi averted her head, while Gamakichi seemed to have completely missed the jibe, occupied nursing its abused head.

"Owie..." the toad whined, still massaging his head, "I can see your taste in girls remains the same, bro, if you still prefer the violent monstrous types."

Naruto had to wonder if Gamakichi's common sense had decreased as he grew bigger, while he prudently lifted a furious Sakura from the ground in order to keep her from launching herself at the creature, her righteous fury seemingly erasing the fear she always professed to have for the amphibians.

"So... anyways," the blond said drawing attention to himself and somewhat managing to diffuse the tension in the room, "What brings you here, Gamakichi?"

The toad perked up as if waking up from a dream.

"Oh, yeah! Message from Jiraya." it said, clearing his throat before continuing, in a fairly good imitation of the Sennin's voice, "Meet me at the gates at 1600 hours... brat. Prepare for a lengthy mission."

"What, today?" Sakura asked from where she'd been dangling in the air, "But it's almost three in the afternoon!"

"Jiraya-sama says he believes it's time for you all to start living by the ninja code and that means being ready for anything at any time." Gamakichi answered helpfully in a slightly smug voice that didn't do much in improving the pink haired young woman's mood.

"Why is it that I'm not surprised?" Kyuubi asked.

"That's Ero-sennin, for you, Kyuu-chan. Can't expect him to be _that_ responsible." Naruto said, getting up from where he'd been sitting and lowering Sakura to the ground, "He just goes with the flow. Don't expect him to plan things too far ahead. He probably decided to leave while drinking sake or peeping on the women's bath this morning."

"And how do you know he was peeping at the women's bath today?" Sakura couldn't help but asking curiously.

"Oh, that's easy!" Gamakichi butted in helpfully with a mischievous grin, "Bro always goes with the old m-omph"

"Don't listen to that jerk over there Sakura-cha, he's just trying to ruffle your feathers." Naruto sad continuing shoving several pillows down the toads mouth, "I haven't left the estate in all day, just ask Kyuu-chan."

Sakura just smiled, which wasn't the reaction Naruto was expecting at all, "Of course you didn't. What, do you think Kyuu-chan would let you live if you did that?"

Naruto looked at Kyuubi's unwavering blank face and swallowed reflexively.

"I suppose not..." he said slowly, "Not that I was thinking about doing it!" he added quickly. Damn! What was going on with these two today? One moment they're relaxed the next moment there's a tension in the air Naruto sure as hell had no idea had come from, "So, meet you back at the gates in one hour?" he asked Sakura, effectively managing to switch the topic of conversation.

"I guess..." Sakura hesitated, "I'll still have to go and buy a few chemicals for my medical field pack, but I think I can make it in time."

Naruto nodded, "Good. If you're a bit late we'll wait for you and remind Ero-sennin that rushing doesn't make good preparations. Gamakichi," he said turning to the toad, "Tell the Ero-sennin we'll wait for him at the gates."

Gamakichi spit the last pillow out of his mouth and croaked, "Sure thing, Bro!" before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Jiraya couldn't quite believe his eyes. Surely that bottle of sake he'd had with Tsunade the day before couldn't still be affecting him?

He squinted his eyes. It was true. A mob of girls really was running after his pupil.

The Toad Sannin watched has Naruto turned around, desperate and fed up with trying to outrun the group of stalkers, something that was proving to be mystifyingly difficult, considering he was a ninja and they were not. Were fan-girls born with innate sensor abilities and muscle reinforcing chakra for when they were chasing their obsession? He watched as the blond started yelling at them, only to get some enthusiastic responses that Jiraya couldn't understand over the background noise of the traffic near the Gates. Then he watched as Sakura cautiously joined Teumess and waited for Naruto to conclude what seemed to be an ultimatum to the females.

The girls all seemed to nod eagerly and the trio made their way to him.

"Brat... What was all that about?" Jiraya asked, still looking at the retreating admirers.

"Those crazy girls... they all want to go on a date with me! And they think that trying to kill each other or trying to tear the walls of the estate apart are good ways to impress me! AH! LIKE THEY HAVE ANY CHANCE!"

Jiraya waited for a few moments but, as the blond didn't seem to be willing to elaborate, prodded further, "And what about that just now?"

"They were waiting for us when we left the estate and nothing I said would make them stop stalking me or fighting amongst them. Said they had to know who was worthy of getting me. I _think_ _**I**_ should be the one to decide who is worthy or not, but what do I know?" Naruto took a breath to calm himself down, "So I issued them a challenge; a game for fun. A prank war. They have until we return from this mission. The victor will get on a date with me and then maybe we'll put this idiocy to rest!"

Jiraya looked at Naruto's sour face, then at Sakura' slightly troubled expression and Teumess' scheming eyes. A chuckle escaped his throat, "I think you've just made Tsunade's next days very interesting... Let's go!"

* * *

**A/N.: OH MY GOD, IS THIS AN UPDATE? YES, IT IS!**

**I feel I owe you all an explanation. It was a beautiful day in my house when I decided to play a computer game. I was on vacation after a stressful year of work and I thought I deserved it. Unfortunately, my GPU thought otherwise and decided to blow up a mere _two__months__after__the__warranty__had__voided..._ Damn you NVIDIA. Anyways had to get a new computer which didn't happen until this last month. Couple that with my newly started Master's Course and I haven't had much time to update. Sorry.**

**So! Kyuu-chan, Naruto, and the gang are going out on a mission. I'll post the artwork of how I envision the team (Yes, I draw - what, no one told you?) if anyone can guess where they'll end up.**

**_THE CREDIT FOR THE PRANK WAR GOES TO SOMEREADER21. SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THE INFO BEFORE, I FORGOT._  
**

**Fun fact: My notes for all my stories and I are, as of this moment, almost 200km apart. So this was all written from memory. Cheers!**

**A/N 2.: Alright: What the Hell happened with FFnet editting tools while I was gone?  
**


	27. TENTative Talks

Chapter XXVII

"Again."

Naruto sighed as Jiraiya, sitting on a log by the campfire, puffed a smoke cloud from his mouth before grabbing the pipe with his teeth and returning his attention to the scroll he'd been reading.

"How do you know if I need to do it again or not? You're not even paying attention to what I'm doing!"

It was a repetition of what had seemed to happen every time Naruto was trained by Jiraiya and the blond hated the slightly whiny tone his voice seemed to acquire.

Jiraiya raised his eyes to the young ninja's face and threw a mild glare, before settling for an answer:

"You missed sectors eight, twenty-four and 360 to 487. If you'd tried to dispel the seal in a real life event it would had blown you and anyone in a 15 metres vicinity to smithereens." he paused to let Naruto absorb the information before shooting the last admonishment, "And that would be partly because you completely failed to find the blast seal I inscribed inside the array."

Naruto exploded.

"How the hell can I be expected to identify a seal array when I don't even know the laws to inscribe them in the first place! When I asked you to teach me Sealing Arts I expected you to show me how to actually draw them in the first place, or at least point me some scrolls that would introduce the theme. Instead you throw me one of the most complicated seals at the face and tell me to identify all the components! How am I supposed to do that, huh?"

With infuriating calmness Jiraiya put the scroll down and took another puff from the pipe that almost had Naruto trembling in frustration. In the back of his mind he could see Kyuu-chan and Sakura-chan watching the interchange with veiled interest but, at the moment, Naruto couldn't bring himself to care.

"If I threw you into the theory of sealing you'd be bored out of your mind not thirty seconds after starting the scrolls, screaming for something more interesting to do." the old sage said, drawing a guilty start from his student, "so we're doing this, a more practical aspect, still good for beginners and invaluable, considering where we are headed to."

"You won't even tell us where that is." Naruto grumbled, disgruntled.

"An old man is entitled his harmless fun" Jiraiya continued in a reasonable tone that, Kyuubi had to admit, was really infuriating for the interlocutor.

She had to give props to the old man; he really knew how to push Naruto's buttons. She wondered if this was part of a grander scheme to teach him more self-control.

"Besides, you have to learn patience. And secrets have always been part of the Ninja trade. Your commanding officer will never, at any time, share the totality of his knowledge of the mission with you. Not because he doesn't trust you," he said, raising a hand to stop the predictable complain from Naruto, "but because it diminishes the threat of you being captured and spilling the guts to an enemy. You not knowing a vital part of a plan may also lend credibility to an act where you need to claim to be unaware of a determined plot. It's called 'plausible deniability' and it might save your ass, one day."

"I'd never betray Konoha!"

"There are times when you wouldn't even know you were doing it."

Naruto stared at his teacher for a few moments before letting out another sigh, this one of weariness.

"I just don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing here." he confessed.

"Look, Naruto, think of it like this," Jiraiya said, picking up a stick and starting to draw on the dirt, "Chakra is like a river. And, just like water in a river, it flows where the path leads it. Seals are like that. They're roads you design for chakra to follow when you infuse the area with it."

Naruto frowned, "If it's like that, then why do I have to learn the characters and the math behind the theory? Wouldn't it be easier to just draw the path like a picture or something?"

Jiraiya looked attentively at the blond for a few seconds, as if deciding whether or not to answer the question.

"What you say is not totally incorrect." he said, once again lifting his hand to stop any comment from Naruto, "However, there are two major reasons why seals aren't done the way you just suggested. One: for seals to work the way you thought of, they have to be drawn in blood."

Sakura and the Vixen were now listening with rapt attention as well.

"Blood is _the_ great conduit for Chakra. It's part of a living organism, just like chakra. The most powerful seals in existence are, without a doubt, Blood Seals. Orochimaru, who focuses almost exclusively on destructive techniques, for instance, only uses blood seals. By doing this, he compensates for his lack of skill via brute force. And, since he has a swarm of followers all ready to sacrifice themselves for him, there's no shortage of blood for his arrays. But even so, he'd never be able to do seals the way you suggest."

Jiraiya paused a bit to gather his thoughts and the girls took advantage of the interruption to go and sit at their squad mate's side.

"This is because, to use a seal without the math or the characters, the blood used to create the path _has_ to be the user's blood. And there's only so much blood one can afford to lose. So you see, this reason alone makes it highly unpractical to draw ancient seals, or pictograms, as they were also once called.

The second reason is, perhaps, better approached if I pose you a question in return: You say that, since seals are like roads, you could just draw the path you want chakra to follow. But how do you know which path the chakra must follow to do what you want to?"

Silence met that question, which seemed to satisfy the old man.

"The answer is that you don't. Not ordinarily. You'd have to have an intrinsic knowledge of the workings of the world to do just that. And such a thing no one does. Because no one understands everything about the World."

Kyuubi couldn't help but to intrude.

"You called these hypothetic seals 'Ancient'. To me that seems to suggest that they'd been used in the past. So doesn't that means the people from the past knew how the world worked?"

"They also caused the cataclysm which ended up destroying the world as they knew it." Jiraiya answered softly, making Naruto remember Juannes' words about the great destruction that had befallen Berasylle.

"Which brings us back to the point we started." Jiraiya concluded, "Since the Ancient's way of doing things is closed to us, you'll have to learn Seals the common way. But that takes time, time we don't have right now, which is way I'm _trying_ to teach you to sense nearby arrays. It's something only Seal Masters care to do."

"Is it really that difficult?" Sakura asked, curious, the girls previous work of setting up the tents forgotten in the interesting explanation they'd overheard.

"Actually it's not that difficult, provided you have the _patience_." Jiraiya stressed, not resisting an extra prod in his yellow haired student's way, "It's just that only once you really understand the workings of seals do you realize they are supposed to warp the flow of chakra in the tenketsu, allowing a person to sense the proximity of an array. Seal Masters don't just part this information to students like that. You're supposed to find that out yourself as you progress your studies. Of course with this guy I have to do things differently." and he pinned Naruto down with his gaze.

Naruto sighed and slapped his face with his hand, letting it slide down in a frustrated gesture.

"But I suck at chakra sensing!"

Damn it! This time he _really_ sounded like a whiny brat.

Jiraiya snorted.

"Look brat, how do you sense this Flow you always go on about?"

Naruto frowned, "I don't know. I just do, I guess. I can see it."

"Really? But you said you can feel it when you close your eyes as well."

"Yeah, but I can still see it." he replied, going so far as to actually close his eyes. He gave a small nod, "Yeah."

A sudden movement caught his attention and he twisted out of the way just in time to catch Sakura's fist and keep it from smashing into his head.

"Sakura-chan!"

"She was just helping me prove a point." Jiraiya interrupted.

Naruto eyed the Toad Sage wearily.

"What point?"

"How did you know where she was attacking? For that matter, how can you see the Flow when you close your eyes. What about what's happening behind you. Can you see that as well?" Jiraiya pressed.

"No I... It's not seeing, exactly. It's more like..." Naruto stammered, searching for an answer, "It's like a wave of cold water washing up my spine, and then suddenly I have this image in my head of what's happening. Different feelings mean different movements."

Jiraiya nodded at the comparison, "O.K. Well, what you have to do here is similar. If the chakra in your body is like water, then the feeling you're searching for is like ripples in a pond. Little waves like someone blowing in the surface of the river."

Naruto stood a moment in silence, pondering over the revelation and blowing softly on his knuckles.

"I think I understand." He said finally, "I'll give it a try."

"Good. There's bound to be trap seals where we're headed. The ability to sense arrays will be invaluable in assuring our safety. You have to master it before we arrive. You have roughly two days."

"Great. No pressure." Naruto hissed through his teeth.

"You'll have no other duties - aside from you watch periods. The girls and I will take care of everything else, so make sure you use the time we give you to the fullest."

* * *

Sakura was almost asleep when something dragged her back to the waking world.

It was difficult to remember where she was, at first. She'd gotten first shift that night and it had been less than an hour since she'd been relieved by Jiraiya-sama so she was a bit disoriented with fatigue - despite her training has a ninja, Jiraiya imposed such a stern rhythm that only Naruto, who was a stamina freak, could shrug off with relative ease.

Once she was awake, however, it wasn´t difficult to notice a few things: first, her companion was missing. A quick look to the clock told her it wasn't yet time for Kyuu to take watch, which meant the Kitsune had probably something bothering her. Secondly, the entrance of the tent was still waving slightly. That meant the Vixen Girl had probably left a few seconds before she'd come to.

Sakura briefly contemplated on whether or not to follow a person who was fast becoming a friend or stay in the tent to try and catch some sleep.

It wasn't a hard decision to make.

Sakura peeked out of the tent trying to make sense where the other girl might have gone. She wasn't anywhere in sight. Neither was Jiraiya-sama, for that matter, although Sakura had no doubt the old ninja master was around, hidden from detection by the forest around them.

The clearing they'd used as a camp for the night was somewhat small. It was surrounded everywhere by dense vegetation and closed bushes, filled with thorny branches and irritating weeds. Jiraiya-sensei had used a few quick hand-seals and rapidly cleared the ground for them to erect the tents. The day had been warm and Jiraiya-sama had decided to forgo a bonfire. Sakura acknowledged that that made them difficult to be spotted. However, it also made it harder for her to discover her friend's path. The only way to enter the clearing was, at first glance, through the trees but there _was_ a small path that lead to a river nearby. Sakura decided to take her chances and search for Kyuubi through there.

She'd chosen well. Half way through to the river she heard a splashing sound, as if something heavy had been unceremoniously dropped in the water and hurried to the stream. Once there, Sakura was rewarded to the sight of the white haired Goddess getting up, slightly breathless, from the water, dripping and with a slightly unfocused and, dare the Pink haired Kunoichi say it, demented gaze trailing the margins.

"K-Kyuu-chan? Is something wrong?" She asked, emerging from the foliage.

Kyuubi jerked from her stupor and looked at her with a startled expression, "Oh... I..." she took a deep breath, seemingly gathering herself, before answering, "Yes, everything's fine, Sakura."

"Why are you in the middle of the stream?" Sakura asked, genuinely baffled.

"I... Why I was hot and decided to refresh myself..." Kyuubi answered with a slight blush.

"Refresh yourself?", Sakura repeated.

The drenched girl wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive posture, as her face reddened more and more with each passing moment.

"Oh!"

The meaning of her words suddenly shifted in Sakura's head and her face heated up as well, matching the embarrassment the other girl was broadcasting.

After a few moments she tried again.

"You were... horny?" she translated, her lips trembling.

Kyuubi said nothing, instead opting to look at her with a betrayed look in a sullen silence. Sakura's mouth twitched in a reluctant smile.

"Right! I'm going back!" Kyuubi blurted, her cheeks still burning.

She quickly made her way out of the water and was almost past Sakura when she felt a hand close in on her arm.

"No! Wait!" Sakura exclaimed, "I'm sorry. This came out all wrong. I didn't mean to embarrass you; I just noticed you were not in the tent. Since it wasn't your turn to take watch I thought maybe something was wrong..."

Kyuubi tensed for a few moments before exhaling an explosive sigh.

Turning back to the river, she sat down, letting the fresh breeze dry her tingly body.

Sakura settled next to her.

"It was nothing... I-" Kyuubi hesitated, her receding blush returning once more, "It was just a dream."

"Must have been some dream, for you to need cold water that much." Sakura quipped lightly.

She was slightly started when Kyuubi turned to her with eyes that literally shone in a red that was almost pink, filled with a desire that threatened to spill out.

"It was either that or rape Naruto where he stood." the Kitsune said in a raspy voice.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she froze at the admission. She'd suspected that Kyuubi harboured such desires for her - theirs, she supposed - teammate, but now, with evidence dropped like this in the open, she was left without knowing how to react.

"Is-Is this related to what you told me in Snow?" she asked.

Kyuubi let out a mirthless laugh.

"I suppose, yeah... Gods help me. I just-" she seemed to balance on the verge of a decision before blurting out, "Don't you think Naruto's hot?"

Sakura let out a squeak of surprised as she suddenly inhaled at the unexpected question.

"I-I-I-I-" she fumbled with the words before she managed to get her uneasiness under control and finally settled on a conservative response, "Well, he's certainly handsome."

Kyuubi scowled under the faint moonlight, "Don't give me that crap. Do you think he's hot or not?"

"Do you?" she fired back, hopping to deflect the question.

Kyuubi hugged her knees, "Kami... yes! The way he looks at you with those eyes. Those deep, blue eyes that take away my breath... I wish he'd come running and sweep me off my feet, when he looks at me like that. I wish- I wish he'd take my breath away with his mouth rather than his stare! Have you noticed?" she asked suddenly, "When he stands in the open sometimes, looking at something in the distance, or thinking about something? The wind tugs at his hair and those locks caress his face and his neck and..." Kyuubi paused and swallowed, trying to gather herself.

"And he's considerate and kind..." she kept going, after a while, "I remember when we were crossing that desert in the Southern Continent... I was still unused to my physical form and he would always worry about me, asking if I needed to stop, putting my fears to rest. Forgiving me for my selfishness..." another deep breath and a squeeze of her legs, "And when smiles at me... I think I might turn into goo. Makes me want to wipe out everyone who might want to hurt him... When we fought back in Konoha and I thought I'd lost him... I-" Kyuubi shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the unpleasant memories.

"I want him..." she admitted, finally, in a very soft, vulnerable voice, letting her head fall on her knees.

Sakura was so gobsmacked at the heartfelt confessions that she was totally unprepared for the attack, when Kyuubi recovered from her emotional display.

"So, do you think he's hot?"

"Well..." and still she hesitated.

"Don't you want to jump him?" Kyuubi insisted eagerly.

"Yes, God damn it!" Sakura almost shouted, her face the colour of Gaara's hair.

"Why don't you do something, then?" the Kitsune persisted, giving her a look of someone searching for something.

Sakura turned her head, as a shadow fell on her eyes.

"I'm... not good enough... for Naruto." she mumbled.

Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't the self-deprecating laugh she got from Kyuubi.

"What're you laughing about?" Sakura asked with some heat.

"You think you're not good enough for him? Why? Do you not understand him? Don't you know him better than all your colleagues and friends? He likes you! He always has. You admitted to care for him more than anyone else. What's stopping you?"

"I-I... What's it with you, anyway?" Sakura asked, once again trying to escape scrutiny, "After all you've told me, wouldn't it make more sense if you were trying to keep everyone away from Naruto?"

Kyuubi's mirthless laugh had a despairing quality to it.

"I can't. I'm _not good enough for him_." the Goddess grabbed her hair in a helpless gesture, "I can't give him a family... I wouldn't be able to give him a single son..."

Sakura's heated reply died in her throat when she realised the other female was now crying silently.

"That shouldn't matter." she said softly.

"But it does. I can't give him an heir. Not even a daughter."

"But you can give him love!" Sakura exclaimed, "You can love him! That's all that matters, God damn it!"

"The Council would never allow it." Kyuubi countered crying silently.

"To the hell with the Council!" Sakura swore, "What's more important? Naruto or what some old codgers think?"

But Kyuubi kept shaking her head in denial.

"They'd never permit an ancient clan like the Namikaze to die out. Not when it's one of the Village's founding families. Not when they just got it back." she took a shaky breath to steady herself, "The only way they'd allow it was if he married another as well. At the very least... and then I'd once again be relayed to second plane, when the other gave him an heir."

"Not this again!" Sakura said, lifting her hands to the sky, "Get this through your thick head," she said, reinforcing her words by poking Kyuubi on the temples, "Naruto. Isn't. Like. That. He'd never put you in second place. And even if he took another wife he'd never marry someone who wouldn't accept you as an equal. **I know it!**"

"Would you?" the girl asked her so softly she barely heard it, "Would you accept sharing him with me?"

"I don't know..." Sakura replied equally softly, "But that's irrelevant 'cause there's no way I'll ever deserve him."

With unsteady feet, Sakura rose up and made her way back to the camp with troubled steps, depressed at the turn the night had taken.

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what it was. But _something_ had happened while he'd been sleeping. Sakura had emerged from the tent with the air of someone who hadn't gotten a minute of sleep and Kyuu-chan had come from the stream, of all places, with puffy, red eyes that he could swear were due to crying. He'd been ready to jump in with questions but Ero-sennin had shaken his head with a sorrowful expression and Naruto refrained from butting in.

Instead he'd observed them. It didn't seemed to have been a fight. At least they weren't hostile to each other. They just seemed... depressed. The flow swirled around them in motions that had a despairing quality to it and sometimes he'd catch Kyuu-chan staring at him with a look that disturbed him greatly. Sakura too, to some extent, except with her it was the look he'd seen on her face every day, back when she still pursued the Bastard. It was a look of helplessness, like she wanted something from him she was certain she'd never get. It depressed him.

That day's journey was the quietest Naruto ever remembered having, and that was counting all the oppressive silences they'd shared as team 7, which was saying something.

That night, as he stood atop the branches of the trees surrounding the camp, their faces kept appearing in front of him. Ero-sennin had decided to spare the girls from the Watch rotation for that night, instead telling them to get some extra rest and he and Naruto had divided the extra hours between themselves. The blonde ninja kept ruminating the situation in his head and, so far, he had still yet to see a solution or, even better, the source for the problem.

'It was all so sudden!' he thought, 'One moment we're all alright and a few hours later there's this oppressive atmosphere. What could be depressing Kyuu-chan? And Sakura-chan? Could they have heard something about the Bastard?'

The only thing he knew that could have had such an effect on Sakura-chan was either the Bastard or a fight with Hinata. But Hinata was back in Konoha so that possibility had nowhere to go. That left the Bastard. It was possible that they could have encountered him while he slept, but then Ero-sennin would never keep quiet about it. And if they'd found him, Kyuubi wouldn't have let him go away alive and that would have made her happy, not sad. So that was a no go too.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the looks they kept sending his way, which made him sure the matter had something to do with him. That Sakura had transferred the looks she used to give Sasuke confused him greatly and Kyuubi's stares she knew only too well: it was hunger. The hungry, needy, helpless look similar, but not quite equal, to the one he'd seen every time he looked in a mirror after watching kids play with their families.

Naruto threw a kunai to the next tree, frustrated. He didn't care what Ero-sennin thought was best. Tomorrow, at the camp, he was going to confront the two of them about it and get to the end of this mess.

Too bad they never set camp the next day. That morning, Jiraiya led them to their objective.

* * *

**A/N.: I know, I know. But at least I updated, right?**

**Kyuubi's nearing break point. Sakura's self-deprecating loathing isn't helping matters, and Naruto's inexperience is showing in his obliviousness. However things are coming to a nexus. Naruto's not as dumb as it appears and he appears to be starting to suspect what's going on.  
**

**This chapter was hard to get out. I suspect I can't write a sweet moment to save my life (case in point when Kyuu-chan talks about Naruto).  
**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay. As much as I like it, Fanfiction does not put food on the table, and I'm not able to dedicate myself to my stories as much as I'd like. However, know that I haven't abandonned any of my stories. It may take time but they'll all be updated.  
**

**Please review if you like (and you don't as well, I suppose).  
**


	28. Whirlpool

Chapter XVIII

That day awoke cloudy and foggy and that's the way it remained for the remainder of their journey. The fog itself was so thick Naruto was hard pressed to see Jiraiya's flowing hair, a few meters in front of him. The seeing was so bad that the Toad Sennin decided to travel the remaining kilometers on foot, rather than risk an accident because they weren't able to properly see the branches they were supposed to land on.

It was just as well, Naruto thought. The weather suited his mood just fine. The cloudy sky was the broody quality his mind had taken ever since the night before, when _something_ had upset his two female friends; and the fog illustrated just perfectly the state of his thoughts on the matter. His face hurt from the scowl he knew had been frozen on his face since he'd woken up but, even when he made a conscious effort to relax, he was back to scowling after a minute or two. To make matters worse, he had caught Sakura looking at him once or twice and, from the look on her face, even he could see that she thought he was upset with them. Which was not the truth: he wasn't upset with them: he was upset that he couldn't figure out what was going on, how to make it better and, worst of all, he had the nagging suspicion he was supposed to.

He was so preoccupied, he barely managed to notice the warning the Flow sent him and avoid colliding head on with Jiraiya. The old ninja stopped abruptly and extended an arm, with his hand open and palm turned backwards in a sign for them to stop. Naruto used his abilities and helped the girls brake: If he couldn't figure out what had gotten them so upset, the least he could do was to make them as comfortable as he could.

Naruto took a look at their surroundings.

The Old Pervert had lead them to the edge of the Forests that covered the majority of Fire Country. The trees stopped abruptly and the ground extended only one or two meters beyond the tree line. In front of them, still obscured by the fog, extended what seemed a small sea, making Naruto guess the Toad Sage had taken them to one of the borders.

"Where are we?"

It was Kyuu-chan. The Kitsune practically hadn't said a single word since they'd gotten up and Naruto's neck almost broke from the way his head snapped to look at her. The girl's face seemed to have recovered from her previous depression but her voice had cracked in a way that left Naruto, who had more than enough experience at diverting other's suspicions about his well-being, with little doubt that the matter was far from settled.

Jiraiya didn't answer, instead opting to signal them to follow him once again. They made their way close to the edge of the water and due West. If they kept their course for a few hours, Naruto thought, they'd reach the bridge to Wave Coutry.

The Sannin stopped far sooner than that, though, and directed them through a path of rocks that peeked out of the water, forcing them to hop from one stone to the next. The noise of the water got progressively louder until, finally, there were no more rocks for them to step on.

Jiraiya crouched.

"What now?" asked Naruto, frowning, "will we go across the water?"

The Toad Sage shook his head in denial.

"No. Hear that?" he asked, lifting a finger to his ear, "That's the sound of a whirlpool. Several of them, randomly moving around. If we put a foot in the water, even with our chakra abilities, we'd be swept away by the current. If they managed to find our bodies, afterwards, I'd consider myself lucky. Instead, we're going in this."

With a speed born from practice, Jiraiya quickly cut his own thumb and sprayed the blood on his palm. A series of hand-seals later, and a giant toad was methodically cleaning his wet pipe, an annoyed expression on its face.

**"For once in your life, Jiraiya, would it kill you to summon me in an enjoyable place? Not in... this..."** Gamabunta, the Toad Boss, trailed off as he took the surroundings in. Its gaze swept across Kyuubi and Sakura and settled on the blond shinobi next to them.

Naruto put his hands behind his head and gave the Toad his biggest smile.

Gamabunta exploded in an excited laugh, **"Ah, Ah, Ah! Naruto! Finally! I thought I'd have to wait until every other Toad in Myobokuzan had met with you before I got to see you again!"** the summon prodded him with the tip of the huge pipe, **"What kind of manners are yours, hm? Next time, make sure to visit us as soon as you return!"**

"Ne, Boss, " Naruto replied, easily, "I hope there won't be a next time!"

**"Hai, Hai."** the Toad bobbed his head in agreement, **"Too bad you had to lose your contract with us... but, at least, you're back. I'd very much like to meet the Goddess. You'll have to introduce us, sometime."**

"Oh, that's easy!" Naruto exclaimed, clapping a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder, "Kyuu-chan, Gamabunta, the Toad Boss. Boss, this is Kyuu-chan, the Goddess."

The Toad summons fixed a wide eye on the white-haired female beside the blond ninja. For a few seconds no one spoke and Naruto started to wonder if there was going to be a repeat of Gamakichi's meeting, but, as he prepared to break the ice, Gamabunta put the pipe in one pocket and bowed deeply, almost as if he were on his knees. Jiraiya's eyebrows had all but disappeared under his hair line.

**"My Lady."** the animal intoed in a rumbling but respectful tone, **"It is an honour to make your acquaintance. The Toad Rock remembers the Accords. We are at your disposal."**

Kyuubi shifted and answered in a monotone "Indeed. The Goddess acknowledges the Toad Sovereignty. May your realm prosper until the Night covers us all."

Naruto frowned. It was obvious something of impact was going on here. He made a mental note to ask Kyuubi about it and turned to the Pervert to see if he had any inkling of what was going on. Judging by his face, he didn't. The Toad Sannin was standing, eyes lit with giddy awe, his mouth open in surprise.

Gamabunta nodded and turned to Jiraiya.

**"So what do you want me for?"**

"We need passage to the other side Bunta." Jiraiya answered pointing at the water.

**"Is that...?"**

"Hai," the Sannin interrupted him, "We need to go slowly, Bunta. Have to watch for the right path."

The huge Toad agreed and, with a grunt, lowered himself to the water. Strangely, it seemed as though the margins were really steep, as the summons was instantly immerged in water almost to the head.

**"Right. I'm good to go."**

Jiraiya nodded, satisfied, and turned to the others.

"Right! Let's get going. Naruto, you and I will be upfront. Sakura, you're the one who's most uneasy on the back of a toad, you'll go in the middle. Kyuu-chan will close the formation." he fixed a serious eye on them, "Be. Careful. If you fall, it'll be almost impossible to get you back."

With a murmur of concordance, the group settled on the giant Toad's head. At a sign from Jiraiya, Gamabunta started swimming, his heavy body steady against the swirling tides, slowly but surely getting farther and farther away from the coast.

Finally, Jiraiya broke the silence. In a soft murmur he turned to Naruto and asked, "Can you feel it?"

Naruto nodded, a frown in his face, "Yeah: there are seals. All around us. Up front too."

The old ninja nodded.

"They're buoys. They mark the way. Only those capable of sensing seal arrays are able to navigate these waters."

"Why?"

"This is a private entrance. Only those who were supposed to know it could use it. Where to?" Jiraiya asked, suddenly.

"Boss, turn left a bit... Okay that's good. Thanks!" Naruto said to the Toad, answering the Sannin at the same time.

**"No problem."**

Naruto stayed silent for a few moments, before asking, "Are we going to a Hidden Village, or something?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Yes. Bunta, go right ahead for 7 seconds, then turn completely to the right and keep going ahead."

"Then how would the civilians get to there? I doubt everyone in the Village is a Seal Master."

"There was a Bridge."

"Was?"

"Yeah. We're not going to a Hidden Village, Naruto. We're going to the ruins of one. Where to?"

"Seventy degrees left and full speed ahead, Boss!"

**"Aye, aye, Capt'n!"**

Naruto turned around, his moodiness and all their problems momentarily forgotten and flashed a bright smile at Sakura and Kyuubi. Sakura returned the smile with a bit of uneasiness, before returning her attention to the task of clinging to the Toad's back like glue, a look of fear battling against disgust every now and then. Kyuubi hesitated for a few seconds, almost splitting her face in two when her grin finally made its way to her face, a pleased, light flush coloring her cheeks. The smile cleared her expression from all the worries that had been marked there and Naruto could almost _feel_ the warmness behind the gesture. The cloth from the Hitai-ate lifted as her ears perked up for the first time in almost a day and her tails, masked as half skirt that covered only her bum and back of her legs, rippled, making it look like the wind was caressing her legs.

"What would happen if we missed the path the seals mark?" Kyuubi asked, lifting her voice over the raging waters and Naruto was overjoyed that she sounded like the enthusiastic girl he knew.

"We'd lose ourselves in the currents." Jiraiya shouted, turning slightly to them, "These waters," he continued, sweeping an arm around, "are filled with whirlpools, maelstroms that would submerge us in an instant. Even Bunta wouldn't make it out of there. I'd be forced to dispel him to save his life."

"What about us?" Sakura asked in a slightly squeaky voice.

Jiraiya shrugged, "Don't worry. It would end fast. You'd drown in less than 5 minutes for sure."

Sakura looked vaguely ill and swallowed with some difficulty.

"There wouldn't be anything we could do?" Naruto heard Kyuubi yell.

**"Well... I could try to sling-shoot you across the waters with my tongue. With luck you'd either escape the currents or get to land."** Gamabunta interjected.

"That sounds like something cool!" Naruto remarked to the Toad, a fierce grin on his face. He turned to face the slightly green Sakura and Kyuubi, whose face reflected the same excited grin, "But I'd probably manage to fly us all back to land - though the way back to the village would be on your backs; I'd probably be out cold by then." He winked at the Pink haired girl, "So no worries, Sakura!"

Sakura looked like she was about to explain how little that managed to reassure her when Gamabunta oscillated and his back tilted back. Sakura yelped and grabbed frantically for the Toad's back, as they all steadied themselves. The summons took another step and Naruto noticed the water level was receding. Almost at the same time Jiraiya said, loudly, "We're here."

Now with sure footing, Gamabunta made short work of the last few meter until the land line. The large toad stretched, after they got down from his back, and grunted in satisfaction.

**"AH! Nothing better than a swim to leave a Toad relaxed."**

Naruto snorted as Jiraiya opened a large scroll and channeled chakra into it. There was a puff of smoke and a gigantic bottle of Sake appeared.

"Here you go, Bunta. Consider it payment for the lift." Jiraiya said, with self-satisfaction.

The Toad grabbed the bottle and uncorked it, taking a sniff of the liquid inside before sipping a small portion of it.

**"Hmm, Hah. You always knew your liquors, Jiraiya!"** Gamabunta commented, with a rumble of laughter, **"Great stuff, as always."**

**"Alright."** the summons continued**, "I'll be going home, then. You call me if you need anything. And you have to come home one of these days, Naruto. You still owe me a drinking ceremony. Of course,"** he interjected, bowing slightly to Kyuubi**, "You're welcome to come as well, my Lady. Pinkie too, I suppose."**

"It's a promise, Boss."

The Toad bobbed his head in satisfaction.

**"Good, good. But before I go, Jiraiya, could you give me a few moments alone with our boy, here?"**

Jiraiya regarded Gamabunta with some curiosity, before shrugging, "Of course. Let's go girls!" He said with a leery smile that left Kyuubi rolling her eyes and Sakura popping her knuckles.

Kyuubi turned to Naruto. Her eyes flicked from him to the summons and back again.

"I'll wait for you. Over there." she said, pointing to a nearby rock formation.

"Okay." Naruto agreed.

Gamabunta watched her go with pensive eyes, an action in which he was absently copied by the blond shinobi next to him.

"So, what is it, Boss?" Naruto asked, finally turning to the giant being in front of him.

**"I'm not too good with these things so I'll be blunt."** Gamabunta started, **"I couldn't help but notice things were a wee bit tense, back there."**

Naruto sighed.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened. They just got up like that. It was sudden as hell."

**"Naruto... you're a good kid. The best, really."** Gamabunta amended. He waited for a few moments before delivering the punch-line: **"You're a clueless idiot, though."**

Naruto looked at him, gob smacked.

**"Just talk to her, alright?"** the Toad counseled**, "Something can only be resolved through talk. Especially when it comes to people and their feelings. Come soon: Ma will have the caterpillars well roasted!"** he waved a finger at the blond.

"What-"

Argh! It was always like this with Gamabunta. Always coming and going when it pleased him, always leaving with the last word... bastard.

* * *

Kyuubi leaned against the rock, looking back at Naruto. It was difficult to see, with the fog. Both Naruto and Gamabunta looked more like shadows than actual beings, against the ever present white blanket that surrounded them. Making a decision, the Kitsune sat down, stretching her legs in front of her, and looked at her hands.

It was difficult, she decided, her eyes settling on her transformed tails. With a bit o concentration, Kyuubi morphed them back to their furred glory. It was risky, showing her tails like this, but Jiraiya hadn't seemed worried in leaving Naruto alone with the Toad summons and her heightened senses weren't picking anyone besides her team on the vicinity, so she supposed there wouldn't be a problem.

Turns out she needn't have had gone through the trouble of settling down as the giant being disappeared and Naruto slowly started to make his way back to her.

Naruto... It was difficult, she thought again, picking up where her thoughts had left her. He was so sweet and caring, everything she had ever desired in a mate, even before the mess with Madara - although she couldn't be too sure of that, her memories of the past being as fragmented as they were, due to the joining ritual she had undergone with Naruto. She did know, however, that she had never felt this close, this... connected to anyone before. He'd been worried, she knew. Worried for the two of them. She hadn't wanted to trouble him but, when she realized he had caught on to their depression, that left her feeling even worse, if it was possible. But then he'd turned and smiled at her, on the Toad, and It was as if the blasted fog and clouds had lifted and the sun shone just for her. Her dark mood had been swept away cleanly.

He was closer now and Kyuubi was able to see the grin he was wearing to greet her. A wave of warmth spread through her and she smiled back, rushing to her feet to cover the remaining distance between them.

"So? What did he want?" she asked, only half-serious, wondering if perhaps the matter had been private.

"The Boss wanted to give me some advice on people skills." he answered her, "You got to admit, the last time he saw me, I needed it."

"You still need it now!" she teased him, poking him on the ribs.

"Yup!" he agreed, unrepentantly, "Boss also said there'll be roasted caterpillars for us when we go there. Apparently it's a delicacy." his tongue lolled out in an inflection of disgust and Naruto made a face.

Kyuubi laughed before grimacing as well, "Ah, Ah!... Eww. I don't thing I ate something like that even while I was without my tails."

"Oh? So what did you eat, I wonder?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why, ninjas, of course!" she replied brightly. Then she leaned to him and, in a coarse voice that left him almost breathless, she added, "I especially like the blonde ones, you know? Maybe I should take you to my den and have my wicked way with you, Naruto-kun..."

She laughed again as he sputtered, a fierce blush appearing on his face. Kyuubi's own cheeks were warm at the interaction but there was a gleeful glint in her eyes as she hurried in front of him, back to where Jiraiya and Sakura had disappeared. If this was what it took to keep her happy, Naruto reflected, it was well worth a bit of embarrassment.

* * *

"Well make camp here." Jiraiya announced after they'd eaten, the bonfire cackling joyfully, "It's not safe to wander around with this fog and it doesn't look like it's going to clear anytime soon. We don't want to set off any protective traps - they won't be pleasant. Besides, we could use the rest. This is a safe place for us. No Leaf Ninja has anything to fear from this village."

The three companions lifted their eyebrows at their sensei at the strange remark.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Sakura asked, curious. Now that the swirling water - and Gamabunta - had been left behind, her complexion had recovered a healthy color and she appeared, like Kyuubi, to have recovered from her bout of depression.

"This place," Jiraiya answered, motioning for their surroundings, "was once a Hidden Village, as the brat here guessed. They were allies of the Leaf ever since the institution of the Hidden Village system, even before the rise of the first Hokages. Our alliance was probably as old as Konoha itself, which only made their demise all the more tragic."

"But the formation of the village was more than four hundred years ago..." Sakura blurted, surprised. The introduction of the Kage system hadn't happened until the rise of Hashirama Senju, almost two hundred years before, but the Hidden Villages reached far back in time, to the Dark Ages when clans battled each other for supremacy, instead of working towards a common goal.

Jiraiya nodded.

"Hai. And to honor that loyalty, the Shinobi of Konohagakure incorporated its symbol into their own." Jiraiya reached out and tapped Naruto's forehead protector with his index finger, "the swirl in the leaf symbol is the remainder of their sacrifice. As is the one on the jacket's of Jounin and Chuunin. It's there to help us remember of their courage and dedication, in a time when doing what was easy was even more appealing to the people than it is today. The people of this Village chose to do what was right instead, standing by the alliance they had with us even in the face of complete obliteration, choosing being erased from history rather than betraying their allies: us."

Naruto listened, mesmerized. He always liked the old stories, when he was younger. Of the recounting of the old heroics that screamed to him about honor and duty and heroes of old, "Who were they?" he asked, "What is this place?"

Jiraiya opened his arms and said, in a dramatic effect that, for once, seemed to come from within and not just for the sake of theatrics.

"This is what is left of Uzushiogakure, the Hidden Village in the Swirling Tides. It is the birth place of the Uzumaki Clan. Your mother, Naruto, was born here, before the Mizukage destroyed the village for invading a neighboring country under his protection."

"What?"

The Toad Sage shrugged, "That was the official version, of course. It was a time of great tension between the village's and there was nothing the Leaf could do - we were too late. But no one was fooled: Uzushio was destroyed for their Sealing Techniques, not because of some nonexistent invasion."

"How did they invade?" Naruto asked, "I mean: I know there was a bridge and all, but they could destroy it to protect themselves and the invaders would be forced to face the whirlpools, right?"

"The Mizukage had the Three-Tailled Beast under his control." Jiraiya explained softly, "A couple seals and whirlpools weren't much trouble for him."

"The people of Uzushio were proficient in seals, then?" asked Kyuubi.

"For sure." Jiraiya acknowledged, "they were the best. Even I don't come close to some of the things they did. Minato could be said to be at their level but then again, he had lessons from Kushina, your mother, Naruto."

Naruto's lips twisted upwards.

"My Mum gave my father lessons?"

"Oh, you bet. Kushina was a genius with seals. Had to be: she studied under Mito Uzumaki after all, and that woman was a god among Fuinjutsu practitioners."

"Mito..." Sakura trailed, "I feel as if I've heard that name somewhere..."

Jiraiya nodded, "I hope so: she was the First Hokage's wife."

"But that's impossible!" Sakura complained, "the Shodaime lived almost two hundred years ago!"

"I know. But the people of Uzushio and the Uzumaki clan in particular, were always blessed with extraordinarily long lives - to the point where Uzushiogakure became known as the village of longevity. Mito-san was old, very old, and Kushina was still a child. But she stayed alive long enough to pass everything she knew to her apprentice."

Naruto adopted a wistful look that was too obvious to be anything but purposeful and Kyuubi knew he was about to irritate someone. She wasn't wrong.

"Man... I wish my Mum were still alive... or Mito-san. At least I'd be learning from true masters rather than the cheap, unofficial version!"

Jiraiya's face was something to behold. The outrage was only matched by the childish, whiny tone his voice acquired: "What? You damn brat! So that's how it is, huh? Well, you damn well better apply yourself, because I'm gonna start pushing you like you've never been pushed before! And, just for that, you can have first watch!" and stormed off to his tent, fuming so badly, Naruto could swear there was smoke around his ears.

"I think you hurt his feelings..." Sakura ventured, hesitant.

"Nah..." Naruto replied easily, "Ero-Sennin likes to make his show, once in a while. He'll have forgotten it by tomorrow." he finished, laughing.

"I hope so. Or you'll have a tough life under his apprenticeship." Sakura said, getting up, "I think I'm going to bed as well. Are you coming, Kyuu-chan?"

"In a little while..." the Vixen Girl allowed, staring unfocusedly at the fire.

Sakura hesitated just a fraction of a second before also making her way to her tent. Naruto watched her disappear behind the lid before turning back to Kyuubi and sitting on the log, next to her.

They stood there, each immersed in their own thoughts, before Naruto finally broke the silence, "So, would you tell me what happened? And don't tell me it was nothing, I'm not that stupid." he started, mentally cringing at how he'd phrased the question; he hadn't intended to be so blunt.

Kyuubi let out a defeated sigh, "It was nothing..."

Naruto mentally slapped as the girl sighed again. After a little he tried anew.

"Did... you girls fight or something?" he asked tentatively, "Was it something I did?"

If at all possible, Kyuubi's spirits seemed to sink even further, "No, I... I had a dream." she finally explained, "I needed to clear my head so I left the tent and went to the stream. Sakura-chan noticed and went to check on me. We talked. I think I ended up depressing her as well..."

Naruto thought he understood. He knew a thing or two about nightmares and Sakura had been through quite a lot of those in the last years. She probably would get depressed by that talk.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" he proposed, thinking of the nights he used to spend, when he was younger, after a nightmare or when drunks were wandering around the building, throwing rocks at his windows, when he wished he had someone to talk to, to distract him, to take the loneliness away.

Kyuubi stayed silent for a moment, "When we get back... We'll have to talk about some things. Just... not now. We can't get side-tracked on a mission..." Then, in a very small, very meek voice, she asked, "Just... just hold me, for a little. Please?"

And that he did and he never once complained or commented about her request. Wordlessly, he circled her frame with his arms and drew her to him, making her lean against his chest.

"Must have been bad." he mumbled.

Kyuubi lifted her head a little, from where she'd been leaning, listening to his heart beating.

"What?"

"The dream: must have been bad." he elucidated, "the only time I felt like I needed a hug after a dream I'd dreamt Sasuke had died and Sakura had been left a vegetal after we failed the mission to Wave."

"But you didn't fail the mission to wave," she protested. Then she made a face, "And the Uchiha? Who cares about those bastards?"

Naruto nodded, "It was just the nerves and the adrenaline after the mission, I guess. It was the night before we returned to Konoha, after the bridge had been completed. They were my first friends; I'd never been so afraid of losing something in my life. And the Bastard..." he hesitated, "He wasn't always bad, Kyuu-chan. He was always a prick." he admitted, "but he used to be alright. I don't know what went wrong with him. Maybe it was Orochimaru's seal, maybe he just couldn't deal with the pain from his past - I don't know."

"It was the Curse." Kyuubi stated with certainty.

"The Sharingan Curse, yeah, I remember you telling me about it. I thought it could have been." Naruto confessed, with a slight shrug, "But I thought it didn't make much sense. He was still with Konoha then, hadn't kill any ally and still wasn't working just for his own gains. Seemed to nullify the conditions you'd told me about."

"Not if he already entertained notions of betraying the village." Kyuubi countered, shaking her head against his chest, "the Curse is harsh, Naruto. It does not forgive." her hands balled into fists as she grabbed the fabric of his cloak, "I can't forgive them. I won't forgive them."

Naruto dropped a hand on top of her head in a soothing motion, in an attempt to calm the Kitsune.

"I'm not asking you to do that." he stated, "And when we get to him, I'll hold him down for you. Just one condition!"

"Anything!" Kyuubi whispered, hoarse, doubling the vice grip she had on him when she heard him promise his help.

"You do the same for me, when it's my turn!" he smiled ferociously, "I'll kick his ass so deep, my feet will reach his genes and hit that Madara guy!"

Kyuubi lifted her head, a light burning in her eyes.

"Yes."

Time seemed to stand still. Their faces were close, very close, so close her nose almost rubbed his. Kyuubi looked at his eyes and, for a moment, it seemed as their problems were going to come to a close right then and there. But she seemed to suddenly realize the position they were in and, in a jerky movement, edged away from him again.

"I- I should go." she stammered, bringing a hand up to brush away a strand of white hair, "you're supposed to be on watch... I shouldn't be hampering you."

Naruto recovered from the shock and confusion of the previous moment just in time to jerk his arm and stop her from leaving.

"No." he almost shouted. The continued, more calmly, "You're not a nuisance. I think this watch is just a formality anyway. Ero-Sennin did say we were safe here; I think the watch duty was just him trying to get the last word. Besides, I can sense anyone who comes near us long before I can see them, remember?"

The girl stood for a moment, wriggling her hands in indecision. Naruto smiled and patted the spot next to him. The action seemed to decide her. With an inflexion of almost resignation, Kyuubi sat back down next to her contractor.

"How long since we were last like this?" Kyuubi asked him after a moment, "Alone in the open? Just the two of us."

Naruto scrunched his face in thought as he tried to count back. The last time they'd been alone had been before they'd reached Argentia. The blond thought back to those days. By then, he thought, Kyuubi and him already had a deep connection. Or at least he already viewed her as a sort of best friend. He supposed it was natural, considering how long they'd been alone with each other by then.

"It's been more than a year." he answered, remembered how high strung they'd been after escaping the facility, "That night before we reached Argentia, remember? We were still looking at every shadow, trying to catch any creature that might had followed us from the facility."

Kyuubi laughed, "Yes. That was some crazy weeks. And now we're here, looking for another one. We really did a number on the mountain didn't we?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto agreed, "I don't think I ever heard you let out such a cute little shriek as the one you did when you realized that metal box had broken and we were in free fall."

"Hey! I do not shriek!" Kyuubi exclaimed, poking him, "I'm a Goddess. Gods don't shriek in fear."

"Well, It was a godly shout then..." Naruto allowed and Kyuubi nodded in satisfaction.

"Still a little shriek, though." He couldn't help but add.

Kyuubi tackled him.

* * *

**A/N.: Managed to get some free time and squeeze another chapter through. I'll try to update more often, although I'll be focusing more on this one before turning to the others (none are abandoned). The Nightshade has always been my primary story, after all.**

**Ever since I heard about Kushina and how she was from the Village in the Eddies, I had decided to place it in the middle of the sea. I thought it was a good change from a world where all ninja villages seemed to be situated on land and surrounded by a couple mountains. Besides, I knew Naruto could be translated to Maelstrom and, since the first time I'd read that word was while reading the 20000 Leagues under the Sea (where a Maelstrom appears in the middle of the ocean), the decision seemed pretty automatic.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I welcome and thank for any reviews you might deem worth to give. Sorry for the mistakes.  
**


	29. First step into the Shade

Chapter XXIX

By the time they'd gotten up and lifted the camp, the fog had dissipated and the Sun was shining brightly again. Naruto breathed deeply and took in the scents from the salty water. It was a smell that brought him back to his first time out of the village, when he, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and the _other_, had taken their first C-Rank mission.

Breakfast had been a meager thing, especially when one was used to demolish several bowls of Ramen for each major meal: just two energy bars and a gulp of water. But by now Naruto was used to surviving on scarce food, the voyage through the Southern Continent having been what it had.

Jiraiya cleaned his hands and stood up before them.

"Alright!" he started, "let's begin our search. I figure it's best for us to separate in two teams: that way we'll each have a member capable of at least sensing any seal that might be hidden out of view. Do any of you have any preference in regards to the arrangement of each team?"

"I'll stay with Naruto!" Kyuubi exclaimed eagerly, her eyes bright with excitement.

Jiraiya looked between her and Sakura who, in Naruto's eyes, seemed rather irritated at the prospect of being left alone with the pervert. Her next words pretty much confirmed his suspicions.

"Fine." She growled, "But so help me, Sensei, if you try any funny business, I'll make sure you return home tilted to one side, when you walk."

The two males in the group flinched at the threat.

"Err, right." the Toad Sannin continued, looking at the pink haired girl and wondering if Tsunade had done more than just teaching her techniques to the girl, "I suppose that's for the best. Given your contract, it's probably a good idea to keep you two together. I'll stay with Pinky, here."

Sakura nodded, still looking sour.

"How are we going to do this?" Naruto asked, balancing on his heels in anticipation.

Jiraiya shrugged, "I don't think there's any special plan to be had. Just search for anything strange, out of place, anything that might give us a clue to where the entrance to this facility of yours might be. I suppose you have an advantage there, since you already saw one..."

"The entrance to the facility back in the Southern Continent was pretty much hidden: it looked just like an ordinary cave." Naruto recalled, "it wasn't until we reached the deep end that we realized things were not as they seemed."

"It's likely this one will be dissimulated as well." Kyuubi agreed, bobbing her head up and down, her hair flowing in the breeze.

"Well alright, then. Let's get this show on the road. We'll meet here again if no one finds anything until sunset. Got your ration bars? Good..." the old ninja seemed to hesitate, "I know we still haven't had the opportunity to take a look at the remains of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal so... is there any way you can contact us if you find anything?"

Naruto raised a placating hand, "We'll be fine, Ero-sennin. I can use Kyuu-chan's Chakra and send Kage Bunshin."

"Sounds good to me. Let's get going."

They split up, each team going opposite directions yet not following a particularly set path. Naruto observed everything with blatant curiosity while Kyuubi jumped from one place to the other in a happy, excited kind of way, like a little kid in a playground for the first time, who can't decide if she wants to go on the merry-go-round or the seesaw and, at the same time, wants to try them all.

Just as Jiraiya had guessed, there were quite a few seals scattered across the area. Most of them, however, were buried under the rubble so, unless they tried to move some in order to better inspect any structure that had attracted their attention, there was little chance of setting the traps off.

One thing that stood out from the ruins was the fact that Uzushiogakure seemed more advanced than the majority of the villages and cities Naruto had visited in his life. In fact, the structures of the buildings and the material they seemed to had been made of reminded him sharply of those on the Southern Continent, a fact he shared with Kyuubi:

"It's funny." he said, "but these buildings remind me of the ruins of Berasylle."

"I know." she agreed, "They look like the buildings destroyed in the Great Cataclysm. I was thinking the same thing." she paused for a second, "Is it possible that they are so similar because they both have an Installation nearby?"

"Might be. But Berasylle was trashed _because_ of the facility. If I understood Ero-Sennin right, Uzushiogakure was around until just some decades ago. Shouldn't it have been destroyed by the Cataclysm too?"

"Maybe we're not seeing things right." Kyuubi mumbled as she frowned and looked at the dirt road. The her eyes widened slightly and she looked at the her blond companion, "Maybe these weren't the original settlements! Maybe the people just rebuilt them after the destruction. If that was the case, the presence of the facilities might have influenced the technology of those next to them."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought, "But if that's true." he proposed slowly, "then Juannes lied to us. He told us the village had been there since before the accident."

"Not necessarily. Berasylle is much farther away from the facility than Uzushio was." she reminded him, " Jiraiya-sama brought us here specifically to search for the facility. That means, contrary to Berasylle, this village must had been sitting right on top of it. Hell, Argentia was closer to the installation than Berasylle. It's probable they have rebuilt that city too. The thing is, these things happened thousands of years in the past. People's memories get erased or changed with the generations," she explained, "It may be that what Juannes told us is the truth. As he knows it, even if that's not what really happened."

Naruto hummed, "You know, you might be on to something."

They made their way through the path formed by the rubble. It must had been an important road in the past, since it was wider and the ruins seemed more imposing than the ones they had explored before. Obviously this had been a busy route, maybe even a trading center in the village. Eventually, the two ninjas reached a large construction. Not a lot of it was intact and it had long since lost its original form. But, here and there, there still existed parts of walls that were considerably whole and, in the middle of it, obscured and hidden by the rest of the rubble, was a large dome, half eaten away by time and, probably, the attack. Naruto made a beeline for it, followed closely by his white haired friend.

"Whoa! Be careful where you step, Kyuu-chan." he warned, "This place is crawling with seals."

"Really? What kind? Are they any different from the previous ones?"

He nodded, "Yeah! I can't quite put my finger on it, but these feel even worse than the traps around the estate. Even the Flow is warning me off!"

Kyuubi proceeded further, Naruto's warning sharp in her mind. They'd taken some time exploring the defenses of his estate, after they'd settled in. Some of those traps were nasty enough to do severe damage even to her, if she got caught in one of them while in human form. She wouldn't die, but it would incapacitate her temporarily, at least. That the protections around this particular ruin were even worse was a clear indicator, in her mind, that there was something important being hidden there. This was not to say she was convinced that they'd found the entrance to the facility. But even if the secrets hidden here were just village techniques or something similar, it would be advantageous to get a hold of them. Not only they could be useful, they were, in her mind, Naruto's rightful inheritance as the last Uzumaki descendant. Not once did the possibility of other Uzushio clan members having escaped the destruction crossed her mind, nor did she consider the thought that, as ninja of the Leaf, it would be expected of them to share potential foreign strengths with the rest of the village. As a, for all intents and purposes, immortal being, Teumess - Kyuubi-, had never been overly worried about human policies. But her new feelings for Naruto shifted her focus: no longer did she look out solely for herself (either survival or self-pleasure, as she had once brushed by in her talk with Sakura, back in Snow): she also actively searched for ways of furthering her beloved's foothold on the world, putting his well-being, comfort and happiness before not only the Village he was supposed to serve but even herself. It wasn't a conscious thought. She never thought about it - never even acknowledged she was doing it. It was just natural.

Naruto followed her just as cautiously.

Now that they were closer, he could see that part of the superstructure had completely crumbled and it wasn't, in fact, in as good a state as it had first seemed. It was for certain a monumental building, or it had been - easily a few dozen meters in diameter -, to the point where he wondered how they hadn't noticed it sooner. They practically had to trip on it to see it. Carefully, he approached the cracks and openings on the spherical wall and took a peek inside. It was dark and after the sunlight outside it seemed darker than a moonless night. Here and there, the cracks in the vault let rays of light through, giving the impression of curtains of gold draped from the ceiling into the floor of dirt. One of the largest entered with a slight inclination and hit squarely in the center of a large wall, on the farthest side of the ruin. As Naruto made his way to it, carefully noting how the traps and seals surrounded the building but never actually entered it, he noticed that what he had taken as smudged dirt were, in fact, figures, painted in a dark red or brown (it was difficult to tell with the scarce light and given how long the painting had probably been there). The images extended across the entire wall which was considerably larger than all the others before.

"Fire Element: Burning Grip."

A soft whisper from Kyuubi and the flickering light of a blue flame, dancing in the palm of her hand, intermixed with the one from the ceiling. Naruto took advantage of the extra luminosity and inspected the drawings more closely.

They were disposed in sequence and, as best as he could tell, seemed to tell a story of some kind. At first, he couldn't quite grasp what it had been that had caught his attention but, as he gave a second, more attentive look at the large picture, something amazing jumped to his face.

Two humans, a man and a woman, stood side by side, one arm raised in a gesture of goodwill and greetings. From each of them emerged a line which went to the side and twisted, curving and turning until it met the other, then emerging through and twisting again so that it would arc back and meet its companion again and again, in a sequence that repeated a number of times. Inside each of the spaces limited by the two lines was a more intricate picture, depicting events of some Nature. Most of these had been erased by time, in a way that the blond couldn't tell what they were but some of them were intelligible. Some had people, shown doing various tasks, others had writings of some kind he could not identify, others still showed amorphous structures, with circles and lines and other structures inside them. A few had lines in which moved circles, around a larger, central circle, and, in the next one a several armed spiral of some kind. It was a beautiful work to look at even if he didn't understood most of it.

As he moved along the wall, however, the pictures started to show a sequence. Though he still didn't understand them, it was obvious he was being showed a series of events of some kind. A creature similar to a gorilla, or a monkey, gave way to progressively more evolved beings until it was a person waving at him. Finally, he reached the big one. the two lines met one more time and separated, arching in a great circle that closed on the opposite side of the double helix Naruto had been following.

It was by far the most intricate design in the entire mural. Lines erupted from another inner circle and twisted in on themselves, creating a beautiful, harmonious yet wild pattern that filled the entire circumference. Then, his eyes shifted focus for a moment and he could see other figures intermixed with the original. A bull, a bear, an aquatic animal of some sort, a turtle, a horse. Eleven animals in total circling the inner perimeter and, in the center, a fox, curled in a ball that echoed the path that encircled them. Eleven lines erupted from the fox and joined the other animals. Another one enlarged until it formed and intricate tail, of a multitude of lines, that hugged the animal.

"My God!" Naruto breathed as realization hit him like the blow of a giant hammer.

These were the Bijuu, he was sure of it. And the fox had to be the original Kyuubi, from before she had lost her tails. The figure Kyuu-chan had its jaws open in a menacing roar and a line erupted from its mouth and sped past the circle and into the right. Naruto moved to accompany it.

The burst from chibi-Kyuubi, as he mentally called the fox, faded halfway to its destination. It raced across the mural until it disappeared, pointing to another picture. This one was pure black and, contrary to the previous ones, didn't have a whole lot of detail. It wasn't clear on what it represented. it was a black sphere, where white, evil looking eyes had been painted, leaving the intent of whatever was represented there pretty clear on the mind of who was watching. It was evil. But it was also strangely... attracting. The more he looked, the more details he saw that had escaped him earlier. Like how the creature had a slim body that bulged into a sharp curve before giving way to a long neck. Or how the muzzle was pointy and sharp like a kunai or a knife. Lethal. And, instead of wavy lines like with the Bijuu, thirteen straight lines extended from all around the dark creature and ended in a pointy, arrow like end. It had a sort of hostile beauty to it and Naruto felt more and more drawn to it. As he looked, the arrows seemed to waver and ripple. The surroundings of the figure warped and wavered and seemed to become progressively enclosed in shadows, until the only thing that was still visible to him was the strange contraption, holding his attention like a flashlight of darkness, beckoning his attention away from the remaining mural, singing for him to forget what he was searching for.

The Flow screamed in warning and Naruto barely managed to dodge before a shaft of blue, screeching fire smashed against the wall, completely trashing the represented creature and severely damaging the large circle he'd been inspected mere minutes before.

"WHAT THE HELL?! KYUUBI!" he shouted, turning sharply to Kyuubi.

The girl was standing, feet apart in a strained position, as one would have when pushing against something heavy, her mouth still smoking a bit from the attack of Foxfire it had sent his way.

It was ruined. That beautiful mural was ruined. The exquisite creature was gone forever! This was unacceptable! Unforgivable!

He was breathing hard, almost hyperventilating. He couldn't see his surroundings clearly, couldn't focus properly on anything except anger. Anger at the girl in front of him who had stolen the painting from him. Anger at the destruction of the beautiful art. Just... anger. He didn't notice how Kyuubi was breathing hard, worry and anger mixed in her expression as she looked at the smoking hole that she'd opened on the wall. Then she turned to him and her face changed. Anger gave way to fear and the worry grew exponentially as Naruto stomped his way to her.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered, even though she knew he wasn't close enough to hear her yet, "I'm sorry! I had to do it!"

He looked demented with rage. Her link to him was hidden, unavailable, shrouded in darkness. This was not her Naruto. She had to get away! Save herself!

Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye and she turned her head. There, at the top of the smoking mess, sat the picture of the creature, singed and damaged but not unmade. It seemed to glitter mockingly at her.

Fury rose in her, obliterating all rational thought. That thing dare come between her and her Naruto!

With a scream, Kyuubi hurled another blue fireball at the rock just as Naruto launched himself at her, also shouting. The stone was obliterated just as Naruto crashed into her and launched them both to the ground, rolling.

He ended up top and for a moment Kyuubi feared what he would do. Then he blinked twice and again and his stare returned to the warmth she had come to love. He looked confused.

"What... What the hell was I angry about?" he mumbled at her, haltingly. Then he seemed to take in their positions, "What was I doing?"

Guilt and shame were evident in his face and he immediately tried to move away, only to be stopped by the white haired girl as she embraced him and clung to him. "It's not your fault. It wasn't your fault." she whispered fervently and for one short, painful moment he wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, "It was that... that... _thing_."

"What was that?" he asked, hoarse, turning with her to look back at the ruined wall.

"I- I- I don't know." Kyuubi replied, taking a deep breath to steady her voice, "I didn't see it clearly. But I knew I was next to something bad. It did something to you. For a few moments I couldn't Reach you." she buried her face in his shoulder, "I' m sorry I almost hit you, I wasn't thinking clearly."

Naruto returned the hug fiercely and whispered back, "I don't blame you. I don't know what came over me. I'm glad you destroyed it!"

The determination, the belief that shone through those sentences was so clear and genuine, so pure Naruto, that Kyuubi had no choice but to believe him with all her heart. She sighed in relief, never letting him go.

* * *

It was in that position that Jiraiya and Sakura finally found them. The pink haired girl let out a small exclamation of distress as soon as she spotted them and ran towards the two. Jiraiya followed quickly.

"Naruto! Kyuu-chan, what happened? Are you alright?" she rapid-fired at the two ninja on the floor.

"We are now, I think." Naruto answered, catching Kyuubi's eyes and giving them a searching look. Kyuubi nodded and tightened the hug again, before releasing him and allowing Naruto to get up and help her back to her feet.

"What happened here?" Jiraiya insisted, repeating Sakura's question.

"You know... I have no idea, Ero-Sennin." Naruto admitted, still looking somewhat bewildered, "I was just inspecting that wall, then I saw this drawing on it and all of a sudden I felt drawn to it. Then Kyuu-chan blew it to smithereens and..." he hesitated and frowned, "and then I only remember being on the ground with Kyuu-chan... I know I felt angry..." he added uncertainly.

The Toad Sage looked at her and Kyuubi launched her own explanation, "I felt I was next to something horrible as soon as I approached the wall. Then I noticed Naruto. He was too still, so still I tried to get his attention. When he failed to answer I saw the markings on the mural and how they seemed to have entranced him. I..." she stammered, "I didn't think things through, I- I just blew the thing away. Then Naruto turned to me and he looked angry," he'd looked murderous in fact, but she wasn't about to admit it and add to the guilt she could feel coming from him, "I tried to reach him but I couldn't. That's when I noticed that the thing, whatever that was, hadn't been completely destroyed. I vaporized it and Naruto returned to normal." she ended, purposefully glazing over his attack.

Jiraiya seemed deep in thought.

"A picture?" he finally repeated, "Must have been a compulsion seal. There were a few scattered around the village and some of them were nasty... Was there really nothing left? I'd like to examine it..."

Kyuubi shook her head, "Nothing's left. I feel it's best this way too."

Naruto agreed wholeheartedly.

* * *

"Over here." Jiraiya's voice came over the rumble.

The Toad Pervert had been sniffing around the place where Naruto and Kyuubi had found the compulsion seal. Or, at least , that was the impression one got from seeing the way the man hunched over and inspected the place.

Naruto and the girls quickly made their way to him, Kyuubi still looking vaguely repulsed at being anywhere near the pictures.

The Sannin stood next to a deceptively simple wall. It was inclined, as if it had taken a push and it was large. Not as large as the mural but still big and tall. Part of it had crumbled, probably due to the stress from Kyuubi's attack and revealed a dark passage-way. It plunged into the earth and submerged in darkness. A cold breeze blew from its depths.

"Is this it?" Sakura asked, eyeing the entrance somewhat warily

"Might be." Jiraiya answered. "Then again, it might just be a store room of some kind. But I doubt it: it was very well hidden. I detected some remnants of obscuration seals as well as compulsion seals; probably like the one these two found." he explained, indicating the blond and white haired team mates, "if not for the erosion of time, we'd have had a very hard time finding this thing. Whatever it hides it is important." he paused, "This whole place was hidden, as a matter of fact. Probably only the priests of Uzushio had the permission to enter here. There were misdirection seals and obscuration seals all around the ruin." he turned a smiling eye to the three of them, "If Sakura hadn't seemed to know almost instinctively were you two were, I'd have had a hard time finding where you were."

"So what do we do now?" Sakura insisted, looking uncertainly at the dark hole.

"Why, we go inside, of course." the Pervert explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

* * *

Konohamaru breathed in the scent of salt, as the ship crashed against the waters and edged away from the Land of Snow, and let out an explosive sigh. He was finally going home. His team's mission had been a short one, especially compared to the one Sakura-san had taken - they'd left so quickly he hadn't even had the time to greet her and the other team. Konohamaru had never really known Haruno Sakura, but she had been the Boss' teammate - and the one that had not betrayed him at that - and he always made a point to greet her when possible. Naruto (even after all this time he still couldn't think of him as anything other than the Boss or the Bro) wouldn't have had it any other way.

He'd never thought handling the candidates for the new academy's students would be so tiring. His respect for Iruka-Sensei had soared to new height after he'd been subjected to the bubbling energy of the kids. How Sensei had managed to keep sane while dealing with him was something he'd never understand. He didn't even want to think of the poor bastards that would be stuck with teaching the ones that were approved for studying in the new academy, come its inauguration the coming Fall. He just hopped he wasn't one of them.

* * *

**A/N.: Well, here you have it. I wonder what will blow up this time.**

**There is more to Uzushio than meets the eye; Kyuubi's throat is sure to become sore if she regurgitates too much of those fireballs; The misdirection seals would come in handy to protect my chocolate bars from my sister; The compulsion seals would make me rich and Jiraiya's remark about Sakura is more important than he realizes. Also, Konohamaru is returning to Konoha... as if the Godaime didn't have enough to deal with after Naruto's challenge.**

**Special thanks to Lednacek, who finally got through my thick head that I was misspelling Jiraiya, a few chapters ago – I keep forgetting to thank him/her for the trouble.**

**Also, we have passed the 200 reviews mark. A rather important milestone from when I was an idiot, almost 8 years ago and believed that only stories with more than this number of reviews were worth reading. Don't worry - I've learned. This would not be possible without you all so thank you.  
**

**Please review, if you find the time/will/patience/story is worth it.**

**Now, forgive me for this, but I must take this out of my chest:**

**OH, COME ON! Orochimaru again? What the hell. Wasn't he sealed forever by Itachi's Susanoo? This is the arms issue all over again! Even changing bodies, even if the cursed seal contained his chakra, the soul is sealed. Nagato had to take the souls from the underworld to resurrect Konoha; Orochimaru's was sealed forever, just like the Fourth's. It shouldn't be possible to do it as per the World's (the story's, that is) rules.**

**Thanks.**


	30. Me, Myself and the shadow in my head

Chapter XXX

- Me, Myself, and the creepy Shadow in the back of my head -

The way was shrouded in darkness. It was such an opaque, dense darkness that Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya were forced to make use of their hearing to go along – since Naruto and Kyuubi had adamantly refused to allow them to use their hands to find the way: there was no telling what they could grab, or worse, what would grab them, in the dark of the facility –, as well as Naruto's ability with the Flow.

To the blond ninja, the world seemed to be drawn in a golden pencil. The yellow background of dense, uniform liquid was undisturbed save for the perturbations of their own movements, and the walls and obstacles along the path formed dark black lines that occasionally shone, as if a particle of the Flow suddenly decided to run across it and offer a better contrast for the only person who actually _knew_ they existed.

The calmness in the ethereal substance was reassuring because, to Naruto – and by extension Kyuubi – it meant that there were no monsters out for them.

Yet.

Which, ironically, made him all the more nervous.

The mind is a tricky thing, Naruto decided. Even with the readings he was getting, his imagination was starting to play tricks on him, as the stress made him picture all kinds of horrific scenarios, traps erected to deceive them and lead them further into the depths of the facility, from where escape was harder. There was, he supposed, the possibility that this Installation was equipped with the same kind of escape devices as the one in the Jaw. But when they'd been there, the contraptions hadn't exactly worked flawlessly and while the blond was sure he could now handle being dropped several hundreds of meters in the air, he could not think of anything he would be able to do if the escape pods were to fail under water.

Naruto lifted his hand and wiped out the sweat from his eyes in a reflex. He didn't remember ever feeling this tense before. Even his first encounter with an A-rank nukenin hadn't been so taxing. True there had been stress involved but, even when Zabuza hid himself with his mist Jutsu, he at least had the notion that the danger was a ninja. This was much worse because he just didn't _know_ what those creatures were and what they could do to them.

He could feel Kyuubi to his right, her hitai-ate, for once, stashed on the pouch at the hips and her foxy ears perked high on the top of her head. She was tense, like a loaded spring, ready to jump to action at the slightest sign of trouble. It was reassuring, in a way, to verify he wasn't the only one reacting so strongly to returning to a facility of whatever people had pre-dated the Elemental Age.

Of course, damned Ero-Sennin just couldn't keep his hands in his pockets and was practically running around the place, trying to shove his fingers to as much crap as he could, even though they were going as far as keeping from using Jutsu to light the way in order to remain undetected.

The corridor they were following suddenly widened into a large, circular room. At the same time there was a thump like sound as Sakura tripped over something solid. The pink haired girl almost lost her footing but was nimble enough to regain equilibrium without making an embarrassment out of herself. Normally a ninja would have no problem doing so but they'd been walking for some time in complete darkness now and Naruto remembered what she'd told him about the effects the dark had on her mind.

There were a few crackling sounds that froze the entirety of the party where they stood. They sounded like short metallic bursts, getting progressively closer. Suddenly, a river of blueish liquid light came barrelling through tubes hanging from the ceiling and connected to the walls. There was another of those bursts and a few sparkles jumped to the ground as the lights above them came to life. For a few moments their surroundings seemed blindingly bright as their eyes adjusted. There was a buzzing noise that became fainter and fainter until, finally, Naruto and the rest found themselves surrounded by silence again.

"What just happened?" Sakura asked, looking at Naruto and Kyuubi in succession, "Did I do something wrong?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately, being occupied in sensing anything that might have changed around them. Finding nothing different, he answered.

"No, I don't think so, Sakura-chan... The facility probably just detected our presence now. The other one in the Jaw did something similar. Although it did so much earlier..." he added, frowning slightly.

"I agree." Kyuubi said, "It's almost like it didn't know we were here until we made sudden movements."

"Motion sensors?" Jiraiya mumbled as he looked around bewildered, searching for the illusive things. It took him a while to register the expectant looks of his apprentice and companions.

The Toad Sage sighed.

"For a while now, there has been some speculation between the folk at both T&I and the security teams back in Konoha about developing a few gadgets that would allow us to detect movement or body heat and bypass some of the disadvantages of security cameras. It was just theory, until now, but it seems the concept is not new..." he mused, going back to looking at the ceiling.

Naruto just shook his head, sightly preoccupied. The Pervert wasn't taking this seriously enough! He was so used to being one of the strongest player on any battlefield that he had dismissed Naruto's pleas for caution with an ease that was almost insulting to the blond. Who, amongst them, had been in a facility before? Who amongst them had seen the horrors that hid beneath?

"Ero-Sennin," he tried again, "please stop running around and pay attention to our surroundings."

The Sannin waved a dismissive hand.

"I told you brat, you worry too much. I'll sense anything that gets too close to us before it senses us. There's nothing here."

"Really?"

The question had such a flat tone to it that even Jiraiya interrupted his search for the sensors to look back at his student.

Naruto had squatted down and was examining something he'd picked from the ground.

"This was probably what Sakura-chan tripped on." and twisted his hand.

The head was a horrible thing to see. There was no flesh whatsoever but the skin still remained, elastic and rubbery, as if its owner had died just a few hours before, its empty sockets staring back at Jiraiya and Sakura and its jaws open in a twisted scream. Whatever had killed it hadn't given the poor bastard a quick death.

"This wasn't a pretty death by any stretch for sure." Naruto commented, looking at them while mimicking the skulls pose.

Sakura suppressed a shiver. As a ninja and medic both, she had been subjected to her fair share of death and the gory glory of the human body, but there was something disturbing about Naruto's face side by side with a skull, both sporting identical grins.

"And," he continued, "I'm not an expert on the subject but, Sakura-chan, how long would the skin remain like this after the guy died?"

"In about four to six weeks all the soft tissue should be gone." Sakura mumbled automatically, "That's taking for granted that this place has been sealed. If animals can get in here, in under a week all that would have been left would have been the bones."

"And yet, here we have this guy. Dead. Killed by who knows what. So yeah." he dead panned to the old ninja, "forgive me if I seem nervous Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya looked at the blond for a few seconds before staring at the skull and quickly making his way to it.

"Well, it's strange that this thing is like this even when the seal system outside hasn't detected anyone entering since the fall of Uzushio. Tell me," Jiraiya said, turning to Sakura, "do bones look like this?"

Sakura took a good look at the skull for the first time. It was yellowish, the colour of old bones but there was something strange about them. There was a suggestion of transparency present everywhere, from the forehead to the jaw. Curious, Sakura approached and started inspecting the remains.

"I don't believe this..." she gasped lowly, "the bones have been crystallized. I've never seen anything like this. It's not even bone any more: it's like a super durable glass. I don't know anything that could have done this..."

"Replacement." came the unexpected voice of Kyuubi. The kunoichi was looking around almost blindly, as if unaware of where or with who she was, "or Recrystallization. The bones are replaced with other minerals. It's fossilization. But it's supposed to take centuries, millennia to take place. I remember when I... when I..."

"Kyuu-chan?" Naruto asked perturbed, as the white haired girl stumbled in her speech and lifted a hand to her forehead, as if in pain. The perturbation changed to full-fledged worry as the kitsune doubled over and promptly vomited at her feet and falling to one side.

"KYUU-CHAN!"

Faster than the eye could follow, he was there, by her side. The girl kept babbling, her speech disconnected and her eyes seeing things that were not there.

"Paleozoic... Trophites Subbullatus... Mesozoic... Paradoxides Pinus... always mixed them up... never got them right... drove Professor Lius insane... great talent he said, great talent... but an airhead... always an airhead... better at physics... yes... the Universe... is a Black Hole... and we're inside... we can't get out... Everything that is, was or ever will be... the Universe... metrics incomplete... must accommodate the Flow... DNA... always liked biology..."

"What's wrong with her?" Sakura asked, jolting Naruto of the panic induced death grip he'd been maintaining on the fox-girl. Her hands already alight with the green glow of her medic techniques, Naruto had no idea how or when she'd gotten next to them.

"I-I don't know!" he half shrieked. This couldn't be happening. Not here. Was it another creature attacking Kyuu-chan? Some sort of monster they hadn't identified yet?

"Well, then find out!" Sakura barked, frustrated and worried, at him, "You two share a contract don't you? You could talk with her when she was sealed in you, you can do it now too, right? Hurry up! Her entire body is cramping, she might suffer permanent damage if we don't stop this fit!"

"Right!"

Sakura's words had at least the effect of jolting Naruto to action. Within moments he was in his mindscape, once again in front of the monolith, the lines of the multi-tailed fox shining with a desperate quality. He dived through it almost without pause -

* * *

- and found himself amidst chaos.

Gone was the placid landscape that had adorned Kyuubi's corner inside (or was it alongside?) his mind. There was no floating door this time and Naruto was thrown unceremoniously to the ground. The grass was no longer the luscious green from before; instead, it was a strange blueish grey. The sky above, on other time so peaceful and clear, now revolved with cloud the colour of lead. There was a pattern to the movement: in the distance, the clouds homed in on a single spot, making it look like they were being sucked through a drain, like water in bathroom tub. There, thunderbolts adorned the spiral, a green, sickly, permanent tone that cast the world in an unnatural light.

Slightly disoriented, Naruto quickly scanned his surroundings. No matter where he looked, he couldn't get a clue as to where Kyuubi might be. There was no one waiting for him this time. The land was, literally, broken. In some places, gravity seemed to have been turned off completely, with chunks of rock and plants hurled into the air, where they stood floating, grotesque. The ground shook at irregular intervals.

"What the hell..."

Appropriate. It was indeed hell on earth. Or on the mind. Whatever – he wasn't leaving Kyuu-chan alone in here for a minute longer.

Naruto got to moving, for once throwing his ninja training to the winds and taking off at full speed. Any hypothetical dangers that might wait ahead were inconsequential; all that mattered was to get to Kyuu-chan as fast has possible.

Too bad the land didn't seem to agree.

For ages Naruto ran towards the point directly below the centre of the vortex, dodging debris, fighting against powerful gusts of wind. The ground seemed to rebel to his chosen path, breaking away the most unexpected of times, throwing rocks and boulders his way almost as if a conscience was guiding them and doing their absolute best to slow him down or stop him altogether. Well they didn't know him very well then, Naruto thought, grinding his teeth together as he blew his way through the burst of wind that had smashed against him.

His surroundings were broken. One minute he was running across a plain, the next he would be jumping over the debris of a tortured city, only to find himself in the middle of a wild jungle the next moment. There were ghosts too. Diffuse images and figures that walked back and forth, sometimes seeming to interact with each other but remaining absolutely indifferent to his present even when he accidentally ran through one of them. He was unable to understand what they said, though, and never stopped for long, an unexplained certainty telling him that Kyuubi was there, at the centre of the storm, and that she needed his help. Little by little a suspicion began to form in his mind: that these were memories or at least aspects of Kyuubi's past. Fractured because of the same thing that was causing the fit in the waking world.

His instincts seemed correct. For a while now, Naruto could hear sounds, screams and rumbles that rose above the background noise. Sounds of battle. He sped the pace up, as much as he could -

- and jumped into the worst war-zone he'd ever seen. It wasn't the destruction or the techniques. He was well used to doomsday attacks by now. It was the fact that here the environment changed unpredictably, all the terrains he had visited before seemed to condense at this nexus and one person would jump from a building in a destroyed city and land suddenly in a cliff, and then loose footing when it changed into a freezing iceberg. At least before he could prepare for the oncoming change; here everything was sudden and unexpected.

For a moment he stood, trying to make sense of the scene before him. There was a black shape, without clear form, looking like those blobs of phlegm he'd once seen Shikamaru throw out of his nose during a flu attack – only made of darkness and smoke instead of mucus. Then there was the fox, as tall as him, appearing to be made of shinning liquid, and giving off a raw feeling of wilderness, of feral aggressiveness, that immediately made him sure that that was _not_ the Kyuubi he new – not even when she'd been a demon had she emitted such a feeling. It was raw power. The fox's paws connected to a human form, a few feet away, like a shadow made of light. It was feminine and it had white hair and Naruto knew it was her.

"Kyuu-chan!" he murmured, making way to her.

The two powers locked in combat seemed to abruptly realize he was there. Both the fox and the thing turned to pin him down with their stare and, for a moment, the blond froze, truly feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Lightning reflexes came into play just at the nick of time and Naruto barely managed to dodge the attack that came from _both_ entities.

"What the hell!" he screamed, pointing at the fox, "Jackass! I'm on _your_ side!... I think." he amended, murmuring between his teeth.

The black thing seemed to have forgotten the existence of the fox and turned to focus all its attention on the newly arrived human. There was a sense of dark glee coming from the entity and it howled, a hideous mouth forming all across its figure, as if it didn't have a defined body. In an alien movement, it seemed to expand and send several tendrils of darkness with super-human speed towards the blond ninja.

Naruto dodged the best he could but even with his training he could tell he was starting to loose ground. The changing scenery didn't help matters and the fact that the damned fox seemed set into biting him in half didn't help either. But he pressed on refusing to back down, the characteristic stubbornness that so made friends and foes admire him (even if he himself didn't realise it) backing him up.

Whatever it was, though, the black being was relentless and, worse of all, didn't seem to get tired. Couple that with the fox's attacks and Naruto was quickly getting overwhelmed. He supposed his luck was bound to end, eventually. He just hoped it hadn't been then. The scenery suffered another ankle breaking change and, at the same time, both the fox and the black thing attacked simultaneously. He managed to dodge the fox. But then the ground he was expecting to land on wasn't there any more. Naruto stumbled... and darkness surrounded him.

* * *

When he came to his senses he was inside a barely lit room. There was a small table, next to him and a pillow to sit on. A bottle of sake sat on the table, along with two small cups. On the other side sat a perfect clone of himself.

"Welcome." It said, "Have a seat."

Naruto brought both his hands up, did a hand seal and tried to gather a bit of chakra.

"Kai!"

The clone stayed put. So did the table and the drink. The cups were unfazed.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, warily, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, "Let me out of this genjutsu!"

The clone paid him no heed, instead taking his time to fill both cups.

"I'm you." he said, after a moment, looking at the blond sardonically, "and this is not a genjutsu – although, even if it were you wouldn't know; nor would you have the means to exit it, since you can't use Chakra. Or did you forget it? That just now, was a pathetic waste of time."

"What do you mean, you're me?" Naruto said, frowning and lifting his hand to massage his forehead. His brain felt foggy, and his thoughts came slow.

His clone frowned as well ant twisted slightly to look behind him.

"Hey!" he barked, "stop it. I don't care what you think, the only way we are going to accept it is with complete understanding, so you may quit trying to trick him. Even if you succeed, it won't work on me and I won't allow it!" Despite having heard nothing but the voice of his double, Naruto had the vivid feeling his companion was conducting a conversation with someone else. That was a silhouette, behind him, wasn't it?

Naruto gasped. There was something there. It was dark, completely made of shadows and it had no defining feature, although it looked humanoid. His double turned back to him with an approving expression.

"Yeah, it's there," he said.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Power." was the answer, "Or, at least, the promise of power."

Something about it made Naruto feel really uncomfortable.

"I don't like it. I want nothing to do with it."

His clone took a sip of the cup and his expression turned disapproving.

"Don't be hasty. Even after everything Kyuu-chan taught us, you still go around jumping to conclusions."

"It feels evil!"

"Sure." his double agreed with a sagely nod, "doesn't mean we can't use it though. But to try and answer your question, I think it is a corrupter."

"A what?"

"A corrupter." his clone enunciated more clearly, "a being that tries to corrupt others to his own advantages. I think it was alive back when the Avatars were young, it may even have contended with them..." he said, thoughtfully, as if the presence of an ancient evil was nothing more than an academic curiosity, "or, it might just be tainted Chakra, like the one the Snake idiot injected on the Bastard." It concluded, gulping down the liquid, "It offers us the means to get what we want. I think we should take it. Won't you have a drink?" he asked, looking expectantly at Naruto while filling his cup a second time.

"You really expect me to drink something offered to me by a guy who wants to accept an offer from something he just admitted intends only to use and discard us?" Naruto fired back sarcastically.

"I'm not some enemy ninja trying to get you into a trap. I told you: I'm you. Or rather, I'm a part of you." he clarified.

"Right." Naruto sneered, "Next you're going to be telling me how you're my evil half or some such..."

"Don't be silly." his counterpart snorted, "I'm nothing of the sort. I'm the part of you that wants things. The part of you who wants back Mum and Dad. The part of you that wants to tap Sakura-chan's ass and jiggle Kyuu-chans boobs. I'm the part of you that wants to posses all the women in the world, wants all the power there is. I'm the part of you that's preoccupied the base things in life: food, sex, sleep, freedom, survival. The important things. I'm you're desires, hopes and worries given form. Sakura or Baa-chan would probably call me your subconscious. This is you're mind. In here, we are Gods."

"The point is," he continued, without giving Naruto the chance to interrupt, "it's power can help us achieve everything we want."

"And I suppose there's no catch to it." Naruto said. Calmly, actually taking the cup and sipping from it. The fog in his head cleared. He was inclined to believe in what his alter-ego said, mainly because he couldn't see the Flow. And the only places where he hadn't been able to see it since he got back from the dead had been while dreaming – or while inside his mindscape.

"Well." the other said slyly, "it would try to control us, of course. But I think we're stubborn enough to win over him. I have faith in us – one of us two as to, after all." he sobered, "But you have to terminate the contract with Kyuubi."

"Forget it." Naruto said immediately, slamming the cup on the table, "Out of the question."

His double turned back as if hearing something. Then he addressed him again, "I'm told you could also corrupt the contract and let it take control of the goddess. Then we would still get her."

"Sure, that's great." Naruto replied caustically, "let's al behave like Uchiha-teme, shall we? And what's with you? I thought you valued freedom. And you're so quick to consider robbing Kyuu-chan of it?"

His double hummed pensively. Then he turned to the shadow and said, "You know, he raises a valid point. You're not getting any friends here. But still," he turned back to him, "One shouldn't dismiss an offer of power just like that. The amount we're talking about just might be what we need to assure the security of everyone that matters to us."

"Or destroy it." Naruto fired back, "I don't trust it and I don't need it. _We_ don't need it. All our goals, all we want to achieve, it would be meaningless if we got them with this _borrowed_ power." he sit the borrowed word as if it were a dirty word, "We'll be famous, we'll get a family and we'll be Hokage. But we'll do it under our own power! So thanks, but no thanks!" he concluded, passionately.

His subconscious gave him a rueful smile. But a smile that seemed to hold approval in it. Then he turned to the shadow.

"Well, there you have it. Seems we won't be needing your services. Run along, now."

The shadow did not move and the clone groaned impatiently. Then he spoke to Naruto.

"It's being stubborn and refusing to leave. I'm guessing it isn't used to being denied."

"Can't you just eject it or something? You did say we were Gods, in here." Naruto said.

"I also said I just worry about things." his double pointed out. "I don't do anything, you're the one that makes the decisions. I give you counsel, but you're the one who gets things moving."

Naruto didn't need to be told anything else. Focusing his will with all the power he had, something his experiences with the Flow turned into an overwhelming weapon on its own, he concentrated on, not just throwing the thing out of his mind but destroy it in an attempt to prevent further problems to others.

The pressure built until it exploded and suddenly Naruto was back in the mindscape of the contract lands. There was a shriek, a high pitched, ear-piercing scream of agony and unmeasurable hate, and the black thing bloated and grew like an overinflated balloon and exploded into countless, harmless pieces, disappearing.

Naruto fell to his knees, momentarily exhausted. Then he heard a groan.

"Kyuu-chan!"

Quickly, he made his way to her, absently noting how the fox has disappeared and how the girl once again sported the ears and tails he'd come to associate with her.

She seemed confused, rambling about odd things, like she had been in the waking world.

"Failed..." she murmured, "I failed. I was the last one. The strongest one. I should have protected them. But I failed. Instead the Tenth and the Eleventh sacrificed themselves to keep us, keep me safe. 'Too young' the old man said, needed to experience life. Experience love. To live before dying. But I failed... I won't see him again... my Naruto..."

Naruto was suddenly assaulted by an irrational fear that Kyuubi might die.

"Kyuu-chan..." he called, reaching for her face with trembling hands, "Kyuu-chan?" he said more forcefully, when she didn't appear to register his presence.

Her head turned to him and her eyes focused on his face, searching.

"Naruto?" she asked, almost incredulously, it seemed to him.

He nodded, too worried for words.

"How? You had died, I saw it." she paused, "I'm dying, aren't I? This is just the last torture before the end. I'm hallucinating. The Nightshade has come for me. And it is cruel enough to torture me with your face." she broke down crying.

"Kyuu-chan!" Naruto called again, grabbing her face and forcing her to face him, "I'm here. This is real! We're inside our heads. Within the contract. Remember? We were in the facility beneath Uzushio, when Sakura-chan kicked that skull?"

"I... I remember..." Kyuubi admitted, haltingly, "But that was before." she progressed, despairingly, "The Nightshade came, and it killed you and then Sakura and Jiraiya. And then it took me. To torture me for eternity. Please, leave me, I beg you. If there's something of the old Naruto in this construct please let me die in peace!"

"NO!" Naruto screamed, starting her, "Don't. Say. That." he pressed, hugging her in reflex, terrified, "You're not dead, you're not dying, no one's dead. It was that black thing. It was all that black thing, Kyuu-chan. But it's no more, I destroyed it. Please! You have to believe me!"

"You... You drove the Nightshade away?!" she asked, wonderingly.

"It wanted me to break my contract with you. I won't ever do that." he said, calmly, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away slightly in order to look straight into her eyes, "I'm alive, Kyuu-chan. This is _our_ mind. Please believe me." he begged, "Please don't leave me. I love you! I don't want to lose you."

"W-What?" Kyuubi asked, chocking on her words.

"I love you." he repeated, more clearly, more secure. Certain of his feelings, for once. His conversation with his subconscious and the subsequent events having finally making him throw doubts and caution into the wind and just wing it. "Or at least, I think I do. I don't know enough about love to know if what I'm feeling is love, but..." he hesitated, realising he was starting to babble.

Kyuubi was looking at him, shocked. Then a single tear ran down her cheek. Clumsily, Naruto wiped it with his dirty thumb, revelling in the soft feeling of her skin. How ironic he never really thought about it before.

"I love you as well..." she whispered, almost inaudibly.

Their heads were closer now, very close. Kyuubi's hair and fur, from head to toe, were getting progressively whiter, to the point where they veritably shined against the background ambience. And in one final, mutual motion, both Naruto and Kyuubi moved in to close the distance... And promptly bumped into each others noses.

Before he could avoid it, Naruto had to let out a laugh. His face burned with heat and he was sure it must be as flushed as Kyuubi's, but he wasn't about to let embarrassment ruin the moment. He would seize what he wanted, just like he had promised his other self.

"That didn't turn out very well." he mumbled, smiling at Kyuubi.

"No, it didn't..." she agreed, mirroring him.

By mutual, silent consent, they tried again, this time tilting their heads.

It was awkward and far from perfect. A light kiss that didn't venture too much into the unknown. But it was enough. When they separated, Kyuubi let out a sigh of contentment.

"Are you really real?" She asked, keeping her eyes closed and resting her face on his shoulder.

"Yes." he confirmed, "I am. Let's go back, Kyuu-chan. I want to know if this feels as nice in the real world as in this mindscape!" he joked.

* * *

When Naruto woke up, he was surprised to find himself above ground. The light from the sun filtered down from the top of the trees and gave an overall feeling of peace. Then a form blocked it and he found himself staring at the happy, radiant face of Kyuubi.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, sounding almost giddy with happiness.

"Kyuu-chan..." he murmured, feeling his throat raw and his muscles tired, "Where are we?"

"Outside, near the outskirts of Uzushiogakure." she answered, "Jiraiya-sensei and Sakura just returned from exploring the facility."

"THEY WHAT?!" Naruto bellowed trying to get up.

Kyuubi pressed her hands against his chest and got him back down, "Don't worry. There was nothing there. No creatures. Nothing. But they did get a new destination. It seems the box updated when they reached the control room. There's a new facility marked on the map. It's in Rock."

"What are we going to do, then?" he asked, unable to suppress a yawn.

"We're going to rest. And then decide the next course of action. But that's for latter. You need to rest, my love. Fighting off the Nightshade is tasking on the body and mind."

Naruto smiled foolishly at her.

"What is it?" she asked, curious.

"You called me your love." He clarified, with noticeable happiness.

She smiled down at him, red colouring her cheeks once more.

"I did. I love you. I'm yours forever."

_For better or worse_ an odd voice sounded in Naruto's head.

Kyuubi traced her fingers along the line of his jaw in a loving, tender gesture.

"Rest." she said, bowing down to deposit a kiss in Naruto's lips that made his insides turn into liquid warmth, "I will be here, when you wake up. My beloved."

* * *

**A/N.: There. The latest chapter.**

**Sorry it took so long, I got stuck in the middle of this thing. I'm not sure if it can be even called writter block, since I knew exactly what I wanted to say and write and it just. wouldn't. come. out!  
**

**Anyways, it ended up spiraling totaly beyond my control, and went in a directin I was not expecting, yet welcome.  
**

**Naruto and Kyuubi finally together. For those who had been waiting, I hope I managed not to ruin it completely. I'm not satisfied with how it came out, nut then again I probably never would be and this chapter would never be released.  
**

**How will Sakura react to it? Or the fan girls for that matter?! Dun-dun-dun-duuuun!  
**

**And finally a glimpse of the Nightshade. What is it? What are its goals? Suggestions welcome: A very early reviewer, back in the very beggining, when this story was still called Through the Neverending Stream of Life, brushed across the truth.  
**

**I expect the next chapter will come quicker, but by this time you guys know better than to trust me.  
**


End file.
